Dubai: With his bald head, snarling on-stage persona and ability to throw arrows with thudding accuracy, Michael van Gerwen would not look out of place as a James Bond baddie.
Instead, Van Gerwen is striking terror into everyone else in his sport, darts, which makes its return to Dubai from 8pm on Thursday and Friday.
The irrepressible Dutchman has won all three previous editions of the annual Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters held at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, and on Wednesday told Gulf News he has “loads of confidence” that he will defend his title again.
Little wonder, that, given that the world number one is by some margin the best player in the sport currently; his latest major triumph came last week, when he stormed to a second Premier League crown with an 11-3 evisceration of the 16-time world champion Phil Taylor in the final.
It was his 10th title of a remarkable 2016.
“I go into this tournament with loads of confidence,” said Van Gerwen after the draw for the eight-man tournament, which took place on Wednesday at the Tennis Stadium’s Majlis building.
“I feel really good and I hope I can do well and give the fans something special again. I always try 200 per cent.
“I always say the crowd and the people at home, they pay my mortgage.”
Van Gerwen will take on the world number five Peter Wright in the quarter-finals on Thursday — a repeat of the 2014 final. “It’s a tough draw but you can’t get an easy draw with this tournament,” the 27-year-old continued, alluding to the fact that the event features seven of the world’s top-10 players.
“Obviously I’ve got a really hard draw against Michael, he’s the man in form but when he gives me chances, I’ve got to take them. It’s going to be very difficult but I believe I can get on top of him,” Wright added after Dubai Duty Free’s president, George Horan, and Matthew Porter, the chief executive of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), presided over the draw.
One player confident of mastering ‘Mighty Mike’, as Van Gerwen is known, is the world number two, Gary Anderson.
The Scotsman, who is actually the current two-time world champion, told Gulf News: “We’re all here to win it — it’s seven against one. It’s about someone else got their hands on that lovely trophy. “It’ll be hard work, though. The lad’s playing so well and he’s the hottest property on the circuit now.”
The Dubai tournament is unique in that it is the only professional darts event held outside, something which Anderson struggled with last year.
The suffocating heat and humidity and occasional gusts of wind played havoc with his usual metronomic precision, but this year the 45-year-old feels much better equipped to deal with the conditions.
“Last year, Phil [Taylor] absolutely destroyed me on the stage,” he said, referring to his 11-3 semi-final humbling.
“It was weird playing outside for the first time. Now I know what it’s all about and I have a heavier set of darts to see if they will help through the night.”
In addition to the Dh750,000 prize money on offer, partners Sixt Rent a Car will donate a new Mercedes-Benz GLC 250 SUV to the first player who achieves a nine-dart finish.
2016 DUBAI DUTY FREE DARTS MASTERS DRAW
Thursday, May 26 (8pm local time)
Quarter-finals
(seedings in brackets)
Adrian Lewis (4) v Dave Chisnall
Phil Taylor (3) v James Wade
Gary Anderson (2) v Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen (1) v Peter Wright
Best of 19 legs
Friday, May 27 (8pm local time)
Semi-finals
Van Gerwen/Wright v Lewis/Chisnall
Anderson/Van Barneveld v Taylor/Wade
Best of 21 legs
Final
Best-of-21 legs
