Michael van Gerwen will be itching to make his return at the PDC World Championship after a year ravaged by surgery.
The three-time champion is one of the most recognisable faces in the sport with his charming smile and supreme skill making him a fans’ favourite at Ally Pally.
He was heavy favourite to claim a fourth title in London last January before suffering a shock quarter-final exit.
The Dutchman was beaten 5-3 by England’s Scott Williams, who went on to lose to eventual winner Luke Humphries in the next round.
Van Gerwen had been battling with jaw pain for the tournament, following unsuccessful dental surgery in the summer of 2023.
He underwent another operation this year before making his return in August – winning Players Championship 21 in Wigan a month later.
Van Gerwen will head to Alexandra Palace as the third seed but may look slightly different to fans so accustomed to his key features.
Why did Van Gerwen have surgery?
‘Mighty Mike’ had an underbite, where his upper jaw was smaller than his lower one, which affected his bite, breathing and sleep.
He explained last year: “I’ll have an operation in which they’re going to break my upper jaw and lower jaw. Put them right on each other.
“Then it’s all about recovery. Two years more in a brace. Then I’m about finished.
“Between the first operation this year and the second one, there has to be a minimum of one year.
“It’s because my upper jaw is a lot smaller than my lower jaw. My underbite is over a centimetre.
“Even a slice of ham, I cannot even bite properly. And because my upper jaw is too small also you get less oxygen through your nose.
“That creates headaches. Less sleep. Things like that.
“You have to plan things, especially with my schedule. I can still eat. But only you bite wrongly. You don’t eat how you should eat.
“It’s the same as the year before with my Carpal tunnel syndrome. It had to happen. There are no other options. For me, it’s not really a big thing.
“Given what I have gone through, sometimes I do underestimate that. I think to myself: ‘Why am I so hard on myself all the time?’ But that’s the way I am.”
Van Gerwen’s second surgery came after the World Matchplay, which caused him to take another break from the gruelling darts schedule.
In an interview with AD, he revealed: “They are going to break and reset my upper and lower jaw.
“My upper jaw, they are going to take it six millimetres forward and my lower jaw they are going to put back just three millimetres. I have a big underbite, a penny bowl, as they call it. That bothers me a lot.
“Anyway, with eating, but your teeth also wear down and you snore more because of it. I’m looking forward to it. I can’t bite through a slice of ham yet. You get fed up with that at some point. After this, I hope to put a stop to all the physical ailments.”
Van Gerwen is into the final part of the lengthy treatment but discomfort is still disrupting his performances.
Following his World Series victory over Jonny Clayton, he told De Telegraaf. “From the beginning, it was fighting, but I have not felt well all day.
“In front of the home crowd, you put extra pressure on yourself anyway. I have been playing very well the last couple of weeks, but I lost matches while throwing an average of 100+. Sure, there’s more in the tank, but anything that doesn’t help you on the way up becomes a minor irritation.
“Anyone who’s ever had root canal treatment and knows what that feels like, I can tell this is a little boy compared to what I went through.
“That really didn’t feel good, but it has to be to keep it together. My lower jaw is searching and wants to go back to its old position. I had a severe underbite. A steak or a tough baguette, that’s still a no-go.”
Van Gerwen is hoping he’s unaffected at Ally Pally after a worrying first-round defeat in the Players just weeks before the event.
Van Gerwen – whose last world title was pre-Covid in 2019 – lost in the 2023 final before his disappointing last-eight exit this year.
