‘TOUGHER YEAR’

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN has revealed he will miss the Players Championship Finals in Minehead “to focus on my children” amid his divorce from wife Daphne.

The 36-year-old star is going through the hardest time of his life after announcing he was splitting from his partner of 11 years.

His dad Henri is also battling cancer and he has been forced to put his darts career on the back burner.

Van Gerwen has pulled out of the Pro Tour event in Wigan on Wednesday and won’t be present in Hildesheim this weekend for the European Tour event.

The Dutchman was spotted at Manchester Airport this week after appearing to write off his chances of making the Minehead finals, which boast £600,000 in prizes.

Mighty Mike was already outside the qualifying spots for the prestigious tournament next month and has opted to skip the last three qualifying events.

Instead, he will be spending time with his children on holiday and said he had to put family first during a difficult time.

He told Darts World: “Everyone knows what has happened and right now, my focus is solely on my children.

“Obviously, the news about myself and their mother affects them enormously, and it’s vital we both continue to provide love and attention no matter what.

“This is a decision that was already in place. I know my fans would like to see me in Minehead, but I assure them I will be back very soon.

“This has been a tough year and I now need to recharge the batteries ahead of the World Championships.

“I owe it to myself, my management, sponsors and also the fans to only perform when I’m fully focused and can give 100% to the game I love.

“At this moment, my family are what matter most and they will always be the priority, regardless of anything else.

“Thank you for your continued words of support on social media. I do see them, and it means a lot.

“At the end of the day, just because we as professional dart players are in the spotlight, we are first and foremost loving parents.”

Van Gerwen and Daphne met in 2008 and were married in 2014, they have two children.

He had more upbeat news about his dad’s condition earlier this month after he had a successful operation.

He said earlier this month: “My dad is OK and now he has seven weeks of radiotherapy and probably chemotherapy. After that hopefully everything is fine.

“They think that they have removed everything for the second time in 18 months.”

Van Gerwen has been to Ibiza and Tomorrowland in recent weeks in a bid to take his mind off things — though he was caught up in a scuffle in a kebab shop last month.

He remains confident he can catch up with the likes of Luke Littler when he returns to action — having beat him in the World Series final last month.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. You need to make sure you are here for the long run. I’ve been in the PDC for 18 years.

“You can say it but you have to do it. But I want to do it. If you don’t have the hunger, then maybe it’s time to do something else. I still like to perform on the big stages.” — Sun