MICHAEL van Gerwen admits World Final defeat to Luke Littler still feels “sour” – and that he broke a toe on holiday.
The three-time world champion returned to the big stage in the Dutch Masters but was disappointing in another defeat to Luke Littler in Den Bosch.
PAMichael van Gerwen was beaten once again by Luke Littler at the Dutch Masters[/caption]
Magic Mike is still licking his wounds following defeat to The Nuke at the World ChampionshipsSportsfile
MVG, 35, missed the opening Bahrain Masters as he was on holiday in Thailand.
On his injury sustained abroad, he told Viaplay: “You didn’t hear that. I told you that.
“No no, that’s annoying, but you’re not doing anything about it.
“It happened last week on vacation. An accident is just a bump in the road.
“I enjoyed my vacation. Definitely, nice to unwind, go away with family. Now we need to get back to darts, right?”
Van Gerwen admitted that he is still low about the World Final loss to The Nuke.
He added: “At the moment itself it’s very sour.
“But it wouldn’t be fair to myself if I didn’t look at this positively.
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“I put up a very nice tournament and played fantastic. S
“our that I didn’t reward myself, but I can take a lot of satisfaction from it now.”
MVG was also annoyed with his display in the 6-3 semi-final defeat to Littler, 18, on Saturday night.
He said: “I played terrible tonight, this performance was not acceptable.
“I was really focused all day and wanted to win this trophy so much.
“No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t get them when I wanted them.
“I was lucky to be 3-3, it could have been 6-0.”
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
Rob Cross sealed the title in Den Bosch after seeing off Stephen Bunting in the final.
The Englishman powered his way to an 8-5 victory – but quickly found the trophy was a little too heavy for him.
Cross laughed: “There is one other trophy that is a bit heavier and that’s the Worlds.
“I thought I was going to pull a muscle when I lifted it. I thought: ‘Don’t do it!’
“It nearly slipped out of my hand. But it’s amazing to come here and win.
“We turn up and play all over the world. If you are not winning, it doesn’t mean anything. This is special.
“I don’t think I have room for it to take home. Anyone got a spare case? It’s very heavy…”
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