Superstar "MvG" throws poison dart towards German darts pro
As if the 4:3 defeat after leading 3:1 wasn't painful enough, darts pro Ricardo Pietreczko now has to put up with abuse. Superstar Michael van Gerwen takes a swipe at the German. Probably also because a Pietreczko victory would have made many things easier for "MvG".
Darts star Michael van Gerwen has launched a verbal attack against German professional Ricardo Pietreczko after his commanding run to the World Championship quarter-finals. The latter had led 3:1 against the English World Championship favorite Luke Humphries and still lost the match 3:4.
When Michael van Gerwen sat at the press conference on Friday evening after his convincing 4-0 win over Stephen Bunting in the round of 16, the match between defending champion Michael Smith and Chris Dobey was playing on the TV in the media room. "MvG" looked over just as Dobey took a 3-0 lead. "Oh dear, oh dear," snorted van Gerwen. Shortly afterwards, the Dutchman was asked about his rivals' problems. Wright? Already out for two weeks. Price? Sensationally out against Brendan Dolan. Smith? No chance against Dobey. Humphries? Had big problems against the German Ricardo Pietreczko.
"Humphries should have lost this match, to put it bluntly. But what's his name again? Pietreczko. Pietreczko has no balls at all. That's just the way it is. I have to make sure I focus on myself," said van Gerwen.
It's not the first time that the three-time world champion has lashed out at his German rivals. In the run-up to the World Championship, "Mighty Mike" had already strongly criticized the other two top German players in an interview with Sport1. "Martin Schindler is also a very good player. But he doesn't have the balls that Gabriel Clemens has. There's something missing."
Even though, unlike Pietreczko and Schindler, Germany's number one has "balls" according to van Gerwen, he also got his comeuppance shortly before the start of the tournament. Clemens, a semi-finalist at the last World Championship, is only a "semi-top player", van Gerwen told Sportbild. "If he was a top player, he'd be playing in the Premier League. Or have won major tournaments."
"A tip in every interview"
Michael van Gerwen repeatedly attracts attention with pithy statements. After defeats, "MvG" is often meek and pays respect to his opponent. After winning matches, however, the Dutchman often sends poisoned arrows in the direction of the other players. "Michael van Gerwen knows how to put himself in the limelight. But it wouldn't hurt him to simply analyze his own game. He would get enough attention even without such statements. Sometimes it seems as if he has made a commitment to his management and the media to make a point in every interview," commented Kevin Barth, expert on the specialist portal dartn.de, in an interview with ntv.
"Michael van Gerwen is not the only top player who acts like this. Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price and he regularly engage in verbal private duels. The media also play a role in this because they often target the players' statements and thus provoke verbal counterattacks," adds Barth. The darts expert certainly sees parallels with boxing, where the fighters of big stars are not only in the ring, but also often verbally.
Duel with Humphries for 1st place?
If Humphries had lost in the third round, van Gerwen would have already been crowned number one from January 4. Instead, there could be a big showdown between the two world-class players in the semi-finals. "MvG" has not yet lost a set at the World Championship, while Luke Humphries has not been able to confirm his status as top favorite in his first two matches.
The potential clash with Humphries would not only be a duel for a place in the final at Alexandra Palace in London, but also a final match for the number one status. The dethroned world champion Michael Smith no longer plays a role after his round of 16 exit against compatriot Chris Dobey (0:4). Smith had been the number one since his World Championship triumph almost a year ago.
The bitter knockout came as no surprise, as Smith had not looked like the confident world champion in previous tournaments or in his first two appearances in London. The "Bully Boy" appeared restless and at times doubtful - a comeback against the furious Dobey seemed out of the question long before the decisive throws. Smith can't switch off despite the early elimination, he's already on a plane to Germany in a few days. Next Saturday he can be seen at the Celebrity Darts World Championship in Düsseldorf.
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Michael van Gerwen's dismissive remarks towards Ricardo Pietreczko didn't end with their on-stage encounter at the World Championship. In a post-match interview, "MvG" referred to Pietreczzo's performance in the quarter-finals, suggesting that he had "no balls" to win against Luke Humphries. The Dutch superstar's critique echoed his previous comments during the build-up to the tournament, where he had criticized other German darts pros for not being "top players."
Despite his harsh words, Van Gerwen's form in the World Championships was unquestionable. With a flawless run in the rounds of 16 and 32, Michael van Gerwen was already looking forward to a potential semi-final clash with Luke Humphries. However, Humphries' victory over Pietreczko meant that Michael Smith, the defending champion, was out of the race for the top spot. With Smith's early exit, the number one status in darts was up for grabs, and a duel between van Gerwen and Humphries promised to be a thrilling showdown for both the World Championship title and the coveted number one ranking.
Source: www.ntv.de
