Michael van Gerwen fires brutal Luke Littler warning after ‘simple’ darts declare
Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen has warned Luke Littler that life will get tougher as he gets older, ahead of the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship defence
Michael van Gerwen has warned Luke Littler that both life and darts will become increasingly challenging as he matures and takes on greater responsibilities in the years to come. This warning follows the former world champion’s recent personal struggles, including his divorce and family tragedies.
Consequently, the Dutchman has endured a troublesome year at the oche, displaying questionable form as he approaches this week’s PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. The star pondered these difficulties before the tournament while also issuing advice to the new world number one.
In conversation with The Guardian, when questioned about whether trauma had significantly altered him as an individual, he said: “A lot. Maybe it’s better to say it has not changed me as a person, but it has changed my way of thinking.
“It has made me understand what’s most important in life. It has to be family. Of course I love darts but I love my kids much more. Before, when I didn’t have kids, it was easier.
“Darts was always my number one. Then, when I had kids, darts was not my number one any more. You have to try to balance things a little better.
“[Littler] lives with his mum and everything is easy for him. He doesn’t have a family, he has no responsibilities, everything’s fine. But when you start to face real life then things are changing. You have to deal with new things in life then. It’s not going to be smooth for the rest of his life.
“I want to see when he has kids, how he’s going to deal with that. Darts is in a really good place at the moment. Social media is bigger than ever. The television coverage is good. So [Littler] does really well for himself and can play himself into financial independence in the next few years. He also did well for darts so far.”
The comments highlight the obstacles the sport continues to present, despite its recent surge thanks to Littler’s meteoric rise. For Van Gerwen, there’s a chance to demonstrate he remains among the elite and claim another Alexandra Palace crown – having secured it three times previously.
The 36-year-old’s most recent World Championship victory occurred in 2019, although he has reached the final on three occasions since then. The most recent saw him fall to Littler last year, as the teenager became the youngest champion in the tournament’s history.
Van Gerwen appears driven with genuine determination, eager to conclude a testing year on a high note and launch the New Year successfully. He said: “No one has to tell me. I tell myself I’m going to win.”
Meanwhile, Littler aims to become the first player in a decade to defend their title, with Gary Anderson the last to achieve this feat in 2016. The 18-year-old has maintained excellent form throughout the year, capturing six PDC majors and two tour titles.
He commences his Worlds campaign on Thursday in the evening session against Darius Labanauskas, while Van Gerwen squares off with Mitsuhiko Tatsunami the following week.
