Michael van Gerwen has decided against playing at the Bahrain Darts Masters (Image: GETTY)
has already explained why he will not be joining at next week’s Bahrain Darts Masters.The Dutchman has not played a competitive match since losing to his teenage rival in the final of the . He would have had the opportunity to avenge his defeat in Bahrain but has decided not to take part.Van Gerwen will miss the event for the second year in a row, having skipped last year’s tournament so that he could go on holiday. Taking to earlier this week, he explained that he would be missing it again for the same reason.
Reflecting on his defeat to Littler at Alexandra Palace, he wrote: “Full credit to Luke Littler for an incredible tournament and well-deserved win in the final.
Mighty Mike was beaten by Luke Littler in the final of the World Darts Championship (Image: GETTY)
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“Thank you to all my fans and sponsors for the amazing support throughout, it means the world! Now it’s time for a holiday and getting ready for the challenges in 2025.”Van Gerwen is still expected to have a busy month, with the 35-year-old set to make his return in front of a home crowd at the Dutch Darts Masters. After that, he will play at the World Masters before the begins in February.It remains to be seen how Mighty Mike will respond following his defeat to Littler, with Phil Taylor of the opinion that he no longer strikes fear into other players.”Youngsters now are fearless, almost disrespectful,” he told . “They don’t give tuppence who you are or what you’ve done. They are not frightened of anyone, you are there to be beaten.
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“Michael used to intimidate his opponents and scare them to death. They would see that green shirt and they would melt, but I think that fear factor has gone now.”He had chances to win the first two sets, and when he didn’t take them it was like a rabbit in headlights. Once it was 4-0 there was no way back. It comes to us all.”Michael has been a fantastic player for a long time and only he knows whether the fire is still burning as hot, but he was well-beaten.”Van Gerwen does not hold any major titles at present and will be hoping to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible. For now, though, he will be focused on enjoying his holiday before starting to prepare for the season ahead.