Long-time world number one Michael van Gerwen tested positive for the corona virus at the Darts World Cup in London and has to tick off his fourth title early.
The 32-year-old Dutchman was eliminated from the most important and highly endowed tournament in the world due to his positive results, as the PDC World Federation announced on Tuesday evening - a few hours before its game.
Van Gerwen's opponent Chris Dobey from England now receives a bye for the match in the third round and moves into the round of 16 without a fight.
The day before, van Gerwen's compatriot Vincent van der Voort had tested positive for the virus. He was also eliminated without a fight. The three-time title holder Van Gerwen was a major tournament favorite alongside defending champion Gerwyn Price (Wales) and Peter Wright from Scotland. On Monday, the Englishman James Wade benefited from van der Voort's failure and made it straight to the last 16.
For the PDC, the final week in the Alexandra Palace could now be a very complicated challenge. There are no more successors in this phase of the tournament, instead more and more games could be canceled in further corona cases and the value of the World Cup could be seriously questioned. Before the tournament, the Spaniard Juan Rodriguez was already out due to the pandemic. “Mighty Mike”, as van Gerwen is called, is now the first really big name. That will raise further questions.
Because not only the situation with the players is tricky, but also the backdrop in north London.
So far, full utilization under 3G rules (vaccinated, convalescent and negative tested) has been permitted in the “Ally Pally”.
Distance and masks often only play a minor role in an exuberant mood and excessive beer consumption.
Since van Gerwen cannot compete in the evening, only two instead of the planned three games will take place.