Vincent van der Voort has offered a frank assessment of Michael van Gerwen's recent struggles, stating it is unrealistic to expect the three-time world champion to return to his peak level quickly after a prolonged dip. Van Gerwen endured a disappointing week, losing to Stephen Bunting in the Premier League in Manchester, failing to impress at Players Championships events, and suffering an early exit over Easter weekend—three setbacks in a row that Van der Voort described as "three times nothing." However, he emphasized this is part of a rebuilding process, noting, "He has to be critical of himself and say that it was absolutely nothing last week. But the fact is he's rebuilding, and one week will go worse than another."
Van der Voort highlighted the external pressure in the Netherlands, where he says people are quick to both lift up and tear down players. He pointed out that Van Gerwen's current issue isn't just poor form but a lack of resilience in matches. "What you see now is that when he's in the match, it's simply good. He still hits an incredibly high level. But when it doesn't flow, he can't turn it around. At the moment he doesn't have the resilience to come back in a match," he explained. This becomes more evident in a congested schedule, where Van der Voort noted there's little time to reset after a bad performance, causing things to "drift on."
The focus now shifts to the Premier League, with a key match against Gian van Veen looming as Van Gerwen aims for the play-offs. Van der Voort urged patience, stressing that a quick turnaround is not feasible. "You can't play below par for two years and then think you'll be all the way back in two or three months," he said. He believes the foundations—scoring power, experience, and feel for the game—are still there, but refining form, rhythm, and mental resilience takes time. The coming weeks will test whether Van Gerwen can overturn deficits and sustain his level, with Van der Voort concluding, "Progress doesn't always go in a straight line. Sometimes you need to take one step back to take two steps forward after."
