Michael van Gerwen slumps to lowest ranking in 14 years as former world champion overtakes him

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN has slumped to his lowest ranking in 14 years. The Dutchman, 37, fell from fourth to seventh on the PDC Order of Merit following the World Matchplay. Michael van Gerwen has fallen to his lowest ranking in 14 years Credit: Shutterstock Editorial The Dutchman, 37, is struggling to consistently produce his best form Credit: Getty Van Gerwen reached the final in Blackpool two years ago, but this time around was beaten 14-12 by compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode in round two. This means that for the first time since 2012, MVG is not in the world’s top six. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Van Gerwen had shown signs of life last month as he defeated Luke Humphries to win the Nordic Darts Open. But he has since endured further disappointments, including early exits at the Slovak Darts Open and the European Darts Open. This has seen him fall behind 2021 world champion Gerwyn Price in the rankings, with the Welshman up to No4. Even at the Nordic Darts Open, Van Gerwen admitted to having negative thoughts on his way to the title. The three-time world champion said at the time: “I was gutted. I was disappointed. “I was sitting in the corner. I was thinking to myself: ‘What the f*** am I doing?’ Most read in Darts BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Van Gerwen is down to No7 in the rankings Credit: Shutterstock Editorial “And you need to try to take the most of it. Because the tournament is not over. And you need to keep believing in your own ability. “That’s what I’m always doing. But sometimes it’s hard. And the moment is there to turn things around. It always gives you joy. “Winning [is] the best medicine towards the next games. You want to show everyone what you’re capable of. “More importantly for me, for myself, for my game, I was able to bounce back, even when things are not going great.” Comment now