Van Gerwen to Miss Players Championship Finals: Dart Player Refuses Tournament for the First Time in 15 Years.

According to The Sun: Michael van Gerwen was spotted in Manchester, sparking discussions about his participation in the Players Championship Finals.

The Dutchman, who has regularly competed in Minehead since 2009, is currently not ranked for qualification for the next prestigious tournament with a prize fund of £600,000.

The top 64 players in the Players Championship Order of Merit are invited to the finals. Van Gerwen is currently in 93rd place with just £14,500 in earnings for this tournament this year.

This means he is £9,000 short of making the top 64, with only three tournaments left in the season. However, it seems Van Gerwen already considers his chances of participating in Minehead lost.

German darts commentator Adrian Geiler claims he was spotted in Manchester on Tuesday, apparently flying home to the Netherlands.

This means Van Gerwen will miss another tournament on Wednesday. According to unconfirmed reports, he may also miss the next two rounds of the year to go on holiday with his children to Dubai.

This tournament will mark his first absence from the finals in nearly 20 years.

The situation unfolds against Van Gerwen's statements to SunSport, where he said he is going through the hardest time of his life.

‘I am going through the hardest time of my life.’

The three-time world champion is divorcing his wife Daphne after 11 years of marriage, while his father Henri is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

Currently, the tough circumstances Van Gerwen faces indicate that his emotional state may be affecting his sporting results. This phenomenon highlights the importance of mental health in sports and its impact on athletes' performances at a high level.