Michael van Gerwen paid tribute to his \u2018fantastic\u2019 home crowd after celebrating his fifth Jack\u2019s World Series of Darts Finals title in Amsterdam on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Van Gerwen stormed to victory in the Dutch capital with a comprehensive 11-4 success against World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall, winning eight of the last ten legs to triumph.<\/p>\n
The Dutchman also made history by landing a sensational nine-darter in his semi-final win over Luke Humphries, achieving the first perfect leg at the World Series Finals, and the first in a PDC televised event in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
This was preceded by a 103 average in his quarter-final thriller against Dimitri Van den Bergh, and he maintained that imperious form to pocket the \u00a375,000 top prize on a memorable night at AFAS Live.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a tough weekend, but I think I deserved it,\u201d insisted Van Gerwen, who also won the World Series Finals in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always want to perform well, and to win a title in front of your home crowd, it gives you extra joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the biggest challenge for me was the pressure of playing in front of the home crowd, but they have been absolutely fantastic this weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven Luke Humphries after our semi-final said that the crowd were phenomenal, and you can only be proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Gerwen was featuring in his first televised event since July\u2019s World Matchplay, where he suffered a shock first-round exit at the hands of Brendan Dolan.<\/p>\n
The 34-year-old chose not to compete in last month\u2019s Oceanic World Series of Darts double-header, therefore he arrived on home soil with question marks surrounding his form.<\/p>\n
However, Van Gerwen quashed those doubts in emphatic style, following up his terrific comeback win against William O\u2019Connor on Saturday with a trio of devastating displays on Finals Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have to dig deep and fight to win matches, it\u2019s good for your confidence, but of course there is more work to do,\u201d conceded the three-time World Champion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not playing my best yet, but I\u2019m still winning, and that is a really nice feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know where I am coming from. I\u2019ve had a lot of time off, and I\u2019m trying to battle back now and regain my confidence, to go on all the way towards the World Championship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Gerwen will aim to continue his winning run at this weekend\u2019s Hungarian Darts Trophy in Budapest, before his focus switches to his defence of the World Grand Prix title next month.<\/p>\n
The unique double-start event will take place from October 2-8 at Leicester\u2019s Morningside Arena \u2013 the first of five televised ranking events to be played over the coming months.<\/p>\n
Despite his exploits in 2023, Van Gerwen is yet to win a TV ranking title this calendar year, with his Players Championship Finals triumph last November marking his last big-stage ranking success.<\/p>\n
That is a record the Dutch superstar is desperate to rectify, as he bids to reclaim the world number one spot currently occupied by World Champion Michael Smith.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing the world number one is my biggest goal,\u201d revealed Van Gerwen, who spent seven years at the summit between January 2014 to January 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be back at the top [of the rankings]. It is going to be a tough task, but I know I\u2019m capable of doing that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a crucial period coming up, but I will be ready for it, trust me. This is the only start.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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