Michael van Gerwen reveals he suffered a serious back injury while showering with his wife

VAR is SLAMMED again after 'baffling' decision to rule out Bournemouth's goal in 3-0 defeat by Arsenal - as even Gunners legend Ian Wright and Piers Morgan admit they 'got away with it'
Ipswich are back in the Premier League! Kieran McKenna's side return to the top flight for the first time in 22 years after 2-0 win over Huddersfield sealed back-to-back promotions
Premier League: Huge day in the relegation dogfight as Nottingham Forest come from behind to lead Sheffield United Burnley trail Newcastle 4-0... plus updates from Brentford versus Fulham
Ange Postecoglou is the lunatic the Premier League has been waiting for, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI... plus why Jude Bellingham has a lot to learn
Manchester United star is BANNED from driving after chalking up 30 points on his licence... as £65,000-a-week star is also fined following court absence
Erling Haaland is PRICE BOOSTED to 7/1 to score a hat-trick against Wolves for Manchester City at the Etihad... after netting a treble the last time the two sides played
Thomas Tuchel 'is on Man United's shortlist' if Sir Jim Ratcliffe decides to sack Erik ten Hag... with the German set to leave Bayern Munich despite thousands signing a petition calling for him to stay
Joey Barton bafflingly claims 'genetically modified' Lionel Messi should have ASTERISK next to his titanic achievements due to the treatment the World Cup winner received as child for rare growth hormone deficiency
Thiago Silva 'agrees to sign for new club' after 'receiving offers from THREE London teams' following his decision to leave Chelsea at the end of the season
PLAYER RATINGS: Classy Martin Odegaard pulled the strings and Kai Havertz shone - but one Gunners star 'struggled with the pace' in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth
Tastes like promotion! Ed Sheeran FaceTimes Ipswich players to invite them on a night out as he celebrates his beloved club securing a place in the Premier League by drinking beer with fans in Miami
Birmingham City are RELEGATED from the Championship despite beating Norwich after dismal season that saw American owners - including Tom Brady - hire and fire Wayne Rooney
Isak, Toney and Haaland featured in 6/1 shot on target accumulator courtesy of Sky Bet - as blockbuster Premier League fixtures headline today's football action
Arsenal players and supporters pay tribute to Daniel Anjorin with minute's applause after the 14-year-old boyhood Gunners fan was murdered in a sword attack in east London
Tottenham's biggest players have gone missing, set-pieces are a disaster and Ange Postecoglou has NO plan B... FIVE reasons why Spurs' season has fallen apart ahead of tough trip to Liverpool
Birmingham's Championship match against Norwich delayed due to a medical emergency in the stands as paramedics step in to help as game is delayed by five minutes before resuming
VAR-sical! Fans FUME after Ryan Christie's high tackle on Bukayo Saka wasn't punished with a red card in Arsenal's crucial match against Bournemouth
Bayern Munich dealt ANOTHER blow in pursuit of new manager as Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi becomes the latest to snub a potential move
Forget Arsenal's set-piece genius - what Ben White is doing at corners is cheating and I don't know why refs can't see it, writes GRAEME SOUNESS
French match is ABANDONED after furious Troyes fans throw flares on the pitch in angry protest against their owners City Football Group... as supporters chant 'Merci City' as their side faces relegation
Aberdeen interim boss Peter Leven rushed to hospital for emergency operation and will miss Premiership match against St Johnstone
Arsenal invite the 2003-04 Invincibles squad to watch their last game of the season to mark 20-year anniversary... with Mikel Arteta hoping in his 'heart and soul' that title rivals Man City drop points
'I don't know when to stop, I can't just have two beers': Billy Vunipola reveals what REALLY happened when he was Tasered twice by an army of Spanish police
Inside John Terry's growing property empire as star sells plans for pair of Surrey mansions on exclusive estate for a cool £5 million

Michael van Gerwen suffered a serious back injury after showering with his wife
The World No 1 damaged nerves in 2017 and suffered a recurrence of the injury
He was almost forced to pull out of the PDC World Cup of Darts in November
But the Dutchman insisted he is feeling good ahead of the World Championship

Published: 12:52 EDT, 14 December 2020 | Updated: 13:23 EDT, 14 December 2020

e-mail

Michael van Gerwen has revealed he needed hospital treatment last month following a recurrence of a serious back injury which he suffered while showering with his wife, Daphne Govers.

The Dutchman almost had to pull out of the PDC World Cup of Darts in November and there were fears he could miss the World Championship at the Ally Pally, which starts this week.

The World No 1 first hurt his back in March 2017, which caused him to miss his defence of the UK Open, and he has now explained how the injury occurred.

Michael van Gerwen has revealed he suffered a back injury in 2017 after showering with his wife Daphne Govers (right)

The World No 1 suffered a recurrence of the injury last month and need hospital treatment

'I had serious problems last month. I had full hospital checks,' said Van Gerwen.

'But I feel good now. The people around me are checking me well.

'It was a twitch and nerves behind my ribs, against my lungs. So this part of my body was in pain. The previous time, I didn't slip over in the shower. I coughed.

'I was with my missus in the shower — because we always shower together. It's good.

Van Gerwen insisted that he is feeling good ahead of the Darts World Championship

'I was sitting in the shower. I started having a cough and pulled my back. That's how it happened.'

Van Gerwen insisted he will not be using the injury as an excuse as he looks to became World Champion for a fourth time in 2021. He won the tournament in 2014, 2017 and 2019 but was beaten by Peter Wright in the 2020 final in January.

'Am I worried about it? No. You need to make sure you have the right people around you to make sure you're right for the next round.

'The doctors don't know what has caused it. It could happen to anyone they say.

'The most important thing was my lung and heart were OK. Nothing whatsoever. They're in fully good condition.

The Dutchman has won the tournament three times but was beaten by Peter Wright in January

'I never make excuses. Always blame yourself if you play badly. Otherwise you will never get any better.'

The 31-year-old gets underway in the second round on Saturday and will play either Scot Ryan Murray or Filipino Lourence Ilagan.

There will be no fans to watch him in action after London was placed into Tier 3 of coronavirus restrictions. Only Tuesday's session will have 1,000 spectators in attendance.