Van Gerwen claims players lied about Covid at World Championships
The three-time world champion pulled out of his third round tie with Chris Dobey at Alexandra Palace last year after testing positive, forfeiting a chance to win the £500,000 jackpot and regaining the number 1 spot in the Professional Darts Corporation rankings.
The 33-year-old had joined fellow rivals Van der Voort and Dirk van Duijvenbode for a meal on Christmas Eve but was forced to isolate after two of them reported positive tests.
Van Gerwen, who left his wife and two young children in Holland to spend Christmas competing at Ally Pally, said at the time the PDC’s testing protocols were "leaky as a basket".
Speaking to the media ahead of this year’s tournament, the Dutchman said "I am just one of the guys who was honest - put it that way.
"There weren’t a lot of honest people, but I was one of them. You can answer the rest yourself. I am not going to name names. I feel better in myself, of course, I couldn’t live with myself otherwise.
"It hurts. But there are a lot more important things than a game of darts".
Van Gerwen faces either Niels Zonneveld or Lewy Williams in his opening match of the 2023 World Championship next week.
