Dirk van Duijvenbode opened up on his relationship with Michael van Gerwen after thrashing him in the opening round of the World Grand Prix.
Van Duijvenbode was just one double away from winning every leg against Van Gerwen in the commanding 2-0 victory.
Van Duijvenbode made it through to the second round with a commanding win over Van GerwenGettySix-time champion Van Gerwen was completely out of sorts against the 2020 runner-up.
It was Van Duijvenbode’s first win against his compatriot on live television.
The two have seemingly had a frosty relationship over the years, with Van Gerwen accusing his rival of gamesmanship when they met at the World Championship in 2022.
He was asked about that relationship after the match and Van Duijvenbode said: “I like him as an opponent, but he beats me more than I beat him. Then you don’t like it.
“Don’t believe everything the media tells you, you can’t tell the context with these questions but I’m being honest.
“I like playing Michael but I don’t like it that he beats me more often than I beat him. So that was the reason.
“We get along. We’re not friends but we get along.”
Van Duijvenbode also admitted he was lucky to get away with making a couple of mistakes during the match.
He said: “The name Michael van Gerwen is bigger than the six wins that he did. I like this event. I like the final ones and then I lost in three first rounds.
“You’re playing the second best player in this tournament. But it also makes you very focused because you know you can’t make mistakes.
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Van Gerwen has been through some ups and downs in 2025Getty“You can’t make mistakes against a player like Michael. I made like probably two mistakes, but I got away with it.”
Van Gerwen’s struggles
Van Gerwen has endured a difficult year after losing the World Darts Championship final to Luke Littler in January.
He split from his wife of 10 years and took some time away from the oche as a result.
Results have also struggled and he faces missing out on the Players Championship Finals.
Speaking last month, he said: “I’m just human, you know. At some point, you want to think about nice things again, not just be preoccupied with the mess you’re experiencing at that moment.
“I couldn’t write this script myself, so I’ll have to deal with it in a way I think is right. You could just sit around and grieve all day, but that’s pointless. So you do fun things, take time for yourself.”
Van Duijvenbode will meet Daryl Gurney in the second round on Thursday.
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