Michael van Gerwen insists he will 'not beg for PL wildcard' after falling down rankings

dailystar.co.uk:

Michael van Gerwen has insisted that he would never beg for a Premier League Darts wildcard having slipped down to fifth in the PDC Order of Merit.The three-time PDC World Darts Champion and five-time Premier League winner has fallen out of the top four in the rankings after a difficult 2021 on the tour.Usually, only the top four ranked players would be guaranteed a place in the weekly event and be joined by six challengers - but changes were made for 2022.With only eight players participating, the top six were invited as well as reigning Premier League champion Jonny Clayton and Masters champion Joe Cullen, which would put fifth spot on the brink in future.Following Van Gerwen's quarter-final victory over James Wade in Brighton on Thursday (March 10) Rod Studd joked that he would have to win the tournament to be invited back in 2023.To which Van Gerwen replied on Sky Sports: "I would never beg for a wildcard, trust me about that."It was a tough two years but it is getting back at the moment.

I started to get my form back, I'm working harder and I'm feeling good."There is more to come."Is Michael van Gerwen getting back to his best?

Give us your thoughts in the comments sectionVan Gerwen has only won two ranked televised events since losing to Peter Wright in the 2020 PDC World Darts Championship final, and none since the 2020 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals.However, with overall victory in Brighton coming after wins over Wade (6-5), Joe Cullen (6-1) and Michael Smith (6-4), the 32-year-old feels he is in a much better place to go on and win ranked events.After becoming the first player in 2022 to win back-to-back evenings in the new Premier League format, Van Gerwen said: "I see myself on the top of the table,.