Michael van Gerwen missed the Premier League Darts night in Berlin after suffering a neck injury putting his shirt on.
The three-time world champion pulled out of night nine of the competition last week, before missing the International Darts Open in Riesa over the weekend.
Van Gerwen had been due to face Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals in Germany, before ruling himself out just minutes before the clash.
This gave Welshman Price a bye to the last four, before he was ultimately beaten by Stephen Bunting in the final.
Following the tournament’s conclusion, the Dutchman also didn’t take part the International Darts Open, before returning to action on Tuesday in Players Championship 11 in Leicester.
And the reason behind Van Gerwen’s absence has now been revealed by fellow darts player and close friend Vincent van der Voort, who was with him as he suffered the freak injury.
Speaking on Dutch podcast Darts Draait Door, Van Der Voort said: “Michael hurt himself in the afternoon—it was really unfortunate.
“He was trying on some shirts for his sponsor, and as soon as he put one on, he said something didn’t feel right.
“He could barely move his neck.”
Despite his discomfort, Van Gerwen had tried to find a solution, seeking treatment to allow him to play through the pain.
Van der Voort continued: “He went to a physiotherapist, had a massage, even took muscle relaxants.
“He gave it a go, but it just wasn’t happening. We ended up going back to the hotel, packed up, and drove home. I was back home by 2 a.m.”
But even the physio’s best efforts were unable to get the ‘Dutch Destroyer’ out in front of the oche in Berlin, with Van Der Voort detailing the damage done by the bizarre incident.
The 49-year-old explained: “During the warm-up, he still couldn’t turn his head properly. That’s when he knew it was over and he pulled out immediately.”
“You could tell he was in serious pain. He was stiff, quiet—completely unlike him. Normally, he’s the loudest guy in the room.
“But this time, he was just suffering. It was a complete disaster of a day.”
Fortunately for Van Gerwen, the injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term one, as he returned to action with a first-round defeat to Maik Kuivenhoven in Players Championship 11 on Tuesday.
And his absence from the Premier League Darts could prove costly in the long run.
GettyVan Gerwen was beaten by Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals in his last Premier League Darts outing[/caption]
Heading into the evening in third place in the league table, the 35-year-old’s withdrawal allowed others to leapfrog him, as he dropped to fourth with Price taking the final of the top three spots.
Van Gerwen now sits just a point ahead of Rob Cross in fifth, needing to finish in the top four to qualify for the play-offs.
A seven-time Premier League Darts winner, he has won seven matches so far in this year’s tournament, but is yet to win a night.
Having now recovered from his injury, the world number three will be hoping to rediscover top form as soon as possible.
Van Gerwen has endured a rocky start to 2025, failing to win a title this year and losing to Luke Littler in the PDC World Championship final in January.
