Michael van Gerwen won’t be going to oche na for the second year in a row Bahrain Dart Masters and there is a similar reason behind his absence in 2024.
Van Gerwen decided to take a leave of absence last year, which is perhaps a wise move given the nature of the season where many players will experience burnout in the 2024 season, particularly in elite darting.
MVG, with such a high profile in the game, can afford to ignore the World Series and still receive invitations to the highly anticipated roster of players from these countries.
He announced on his Instagram that instead of playing in Bahrain, he would go on vacation and then prepare for the 2025 season.
“Full credit to Luke Littler for an incredible tournament and a well-deserved victory in the final. Thank you to all my fans and sponsors for your amazing support throughout; it means to the world! Now it’s time to take a vacation and prepare for the challenges of 2025.” Van Gerwen said earlier this week.
She often shares her vacation photos on social media, so she’ll no doubt do it again. However, it won’t be a quiet month for the world finalist as he will still be playing Den Bosch as well as the World Masters. This explains why he made the decision not to play in Bahrain.
The season then picks up pace with the Premier League and the UK Open in March, as well as the start of the ProTour season in February with a number of early tournaments in the first month.
So, while those who play every tournament in January will likely have to use it as a rest, Van Gerwen can attack the ranking action. However, for those paying for the tournament in Bahrain, it is perhaps a shame that MVG will not play in the tournament again. However, there is a risk of changing the date to early January in the face of a difficult World Championship campaign.
