Michael van Gerwen reveals he will undergo surgery to have his jaw ‘re-set’ and claims he ‘can’t bite through a slice of ham’ – as 35-year-old darts star brushes past Luke Littler at World Matchplay

• Michael van Gerwen is expected to be sidelined until the Players Championship 
• The Dutchman had bested Luke Littler on Monday night at the World Matchplay
• Van Gerwen has had a tough year on darts circuit and hasn’t won since January

By Ed Carruthers

Michael van Gerwen has revealed he is set to undergo surgery on an issue with his jaw that has left him unable to ‘bite through a slice of ham’.

The Dutchman, 35, has been struggling with some discomfort for some time and will be sidelined for around a month while he recovers from the procedure but is aiming to make his return at the Player’s Championship in August.

The three-time PDC World Darts Champion has also endured a difficult year on the professional circuit, having not won a tournament since he clinched the Dutch Masters in January.

Last night he swept away teenage darts sensation Luke Littler 10-6 in the opening round of the World Matchplay in Blackpool and is now set to square off in a second-round clash against Joe Cullen on Tuesday night.

Speaking on the issue in his jaw, Van Gerwen told AD on Monday: ‘They are going to break and re-set my upper and lower jaw.

Michael van Gerwen (pictured) has revealed he is set to undergo surgery to have his jaw ‘broken and re-set’ 

The Dutchman (right) bested Luke Littler (left) 10-6 in the first round of the World Darts Matchplay

Van Gerwen stated that he has been in some discomfort for a while and ‘could not bite through a slice of ham’

‘My upper jaw they are going to take out 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, your teeth also wear down and you snore more because of it.

‘I’m also 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 amassed an average of 101.93 against Littler with both players breaking each other in the first four sets before the 35-year-old would pick up the pace, breaking Littler again to go 4-2 up. Van Gerwen would best his opponent again to go 6-4 up at the second interval before pressing on to seal victory.

The Dutchman had finished third in the Premier League Darts standings in May, with Littler clinching his maiden title at the event.

But on Monday, Van Gerwen clinched his sixth win against the British darts star, with the pair having met 10 times previously, and spoke of how much the victory means to him following a tough year. 

He admitted that beating Littler was a big result for him because he had been enduring a ‘rough time’ this year 

Van Gerwen also stated that he was targeting a return to play at the Players Championship at the end of August

‘This means a lot to me because I’ve been going through a rough time,’ he told Sky Sports.

‘To actually do something good and be rewarded for all your hard work is always nice.’

He added to AD that the schedule had been taking its toll on him recently and had opted to take some time off to go on holiday with his family following the US Darts Masters at the beginning of June.

In recent weeks, the world No 2 has made it to the quarter-final of the Players Championship 12 and the semi-final of the Poland Darts Masters, where he was knocked out by Rob Cross.

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Michael van Gerwen reveals he will undergo surgery to have his jaw ‘re-set’ and claims he ‘can’t bite through a slice of ham’ – as 35-year-old darts star brushes past Luke Littler at World Matchplay

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