MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will go into his rematch with Luke Littler at the Dutch Open sporting a broken toe. The three-time world champion suffered a freak injury while on holiday with his family in Thailand. Van Gerwen was beaten by The Nuke on January 3 in the PDC World Championship final at Alexandra Palace.
![[Michael van Gerwen of the Netherlands reacts during a darts match.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/michael-van-gerwen-netherlands-reacts-961993453.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The 35-year-old jetted off for a luxury break with his wife Daphne and two children Zoe and Mike after the loss. After battling several health issues over the past few years, MVG now has a temporary ailment to add to the list. Van Gerwen romped to a 6-1 triumph over Dirk van Duijvenbode on Friday night to set up a reunion with Littler.
![[Family at Maeklong Station.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/inside-michael-van-gerwens-family-963939018_37cf1c.jpg?strip=all&w=768)
After the matchup, he revealed he is currently nursing a broken toe. Asked if the injury would hamper him in the tournament, he replied: "[It's] annoying, but you can’t do anything about it. "It happened last week on holiday. Accidents can happen. I enjoyed my holiday. I definitely had a nice rest.".
![[Luke Littler celebrates a win while a darts referee applauds.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/03-01-2025-luke-littler-966380277.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
MVG is keen to banish the memory of his 7-4 Ally Pally loss to teenage sensation Littler. BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS. He continued: "It’s really bitter, but it wouldn’t be fair to myself if I didn’t look at it positively. "I put together a really great tournament and played fantastically.
"I'm sour that I didn't reward myself, but I can take a lot of satisfaction from it now.". Littler booked his showdown with MVG by beating Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-4 in front of a partisan crowd at the Maaspoort. The Nuke turned 18 last week and since opened up about his fame following a remarkable 2024.
