MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will go into his rematch with Luke Littler at the Dutch Open sporting a broken toe.
The three-time world champion suffered a freak injury while on holiday with his family in Thailand.
GettyMichael van Gerwen is nursing a broken toe at this week’s Dutch Open[/caption]
Instagram @mvg180The three-time world champion suffered the freak injury on holiday in Thailand[/caption]
PAMVG faces Luke Littler in a rematch of their PDC final on Saturday[/caption]
Van Gerwen was beaten by The Nuke on January 3 in the PDC World Championship final at Alexandra Palace.
The 35-year-old jetted off for a luxury break with his wife Daphne and two children Zoe and Mike after the loss.
After battling several health issues over the past few years, MVG now has a temporary ailment to add to the list.
Van Gerwen romped to a 6-1 triumph over Dirk van Duijvenbode on Friday night to set up a reunion with Littler.
After the matchup, he revealed he is currently nursing a broken toe.
Asked if the injury would hamper him in the tournament, he replied: “[It’s] annoying, but you can’t do anything about it.
“It happened last week on holiday. Accidents can happen. I enjoyed my holiday. I definitely had a nice rest.”
MVG is keen to banish the memory of his 7-4 Ally Pally loss to teenage sensation Littler.
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He continued: “It’s really bitter, but it wouldn’t be fair to myself if I didn’t look at it positively.
“I put together a really great tournament and played fantastically.
“I’m sour that I didn’t reward myself, but I can take a lot of satisfaction from it now.”
Littler booked his showdown with MVG by beating Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-4 in front of a partisan crowd at the Maaspoort.
The Nuke turned 18 last week and since opened up about his fame following a remarkable 2024.
Luke Littler prize money breakdown
Here is all the prize money Luke Littler has won so far after being crowned 2025 PDC World Darts Championship winner:
World Championship 2025 – £500,000
World Championship 2024 – £200,000
Grand Slam of Darts 2024 – £150,000
European Tour – £91,000
Player Championships events – £71,500
Players Championship final runner-up – £60,000
UK Open 2023 + 2024 – £17,500
World Matchplay – £10,000
World Grand Prix – £7,500
European Championship – £7,500
(Unranked) Premier League Darts – £315,000
TOTAL: £1.43 million
Discussing his love life away from the oche, Littler told the Mail: “Extra attention comes with me winning the world title and certain reporting restrictions are lifted at the age of 18 so that will have an impact.
“And if I keep winning, I’m not making it easier for myself, am I?’
“I have had a few requests from girls to meet up, but I generally don’t reply.
“It’s just people looking at me and the money I am making, and they want part of that.”
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