Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen

Michael van Gerwen identifies World Matchplay and Champions League as his primary targets


Michael van Gerwen primary targets for the rest of 2019 are the Betfred World Matchplay and Paddy Power Champions League of Darts.

The world number one has claimed all of the PDC's big televised titles at least twice each except October's Champions League, which he's never at all in the three previous stagings of the event.

And although he's managed to triumph in the prestigious World Matchplay twice, which takes place in Blackpool in July, the last of those occasions was back in 2016 and that's a record he's keen to put right.

Fresh from winning the Premier League crown for a fifth year in a row, the Dutchman said: "I want to win every tournament I compete in, of course that's not easy but you have to set yourself high targets to stay sharp.

"That's why I play so many events like the ProTours to keep my form going, even if i don't win them I get a positive energy out of it which I can use for my next games.

"For the rest of 2019 I've got two big targets. I want to win the World Matchplay, because I've performed badly there the last two years, and I want to win the Champions League of Darts because it's the only TV title I've never won before.

"I know how hard it will be to win those two tournaments, along with everything else I will be playing in which I want to win too, but I am up to the challenge."

Van Gerwen's Premier League success was the world champion's ninth title of the season so far although he could now easily be on 10 had he not lost to Ian White in the recent final of the Dutch Darts Masters.

Now his next target is helping Netherlands retain the World Cup of Darts alongside Jermaine Wattimena - rather than Raymond van Barneveld - in Hamburg this weekend.

"With all respect to Raymond [van Barneveld], I think Jermaine deserves his place but if I was in Raymond's shoes I would be gutted," said van Gerwen, who has won the tournament three times alongside Van Barneveld.

"The World Cup will be interesting because there are a lot of players in good form, but also a lot of players in poor form and with the short format we could see some surprises."

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