Rogg wrote:I bet Lewis was gutted when MVG bagged #2. He's sneered on twitter often enough about being 2-1 up. He had some nerve even doing that.
He can't do that anymore, now. Lewis was neck and neck with van Gerwen as recently as 3 years ago, yet their careers have gone in opposite directions since Lewis' 2014 UK Open win. I honestly believe one of the keys to what van Gerwen has done is his hunger and desire. He simply has more of it than other players, for almost every tournament, on the floor and TV. When they interviewed him after the match last night, he had tears in his eyes because he was remembering the pain of his previous 2 World Championship defeats and his delight and relief in winning the World Championship again. He has a hunger for competing and winning that other players will need to get if they hope to match him. Having said that, van Gerwen is clearly more vulnerable at the World Championship with the sets format and every player being massively motivated. Van Gerwen would have lost to Barney again for sure had van Gerwen not brought out his very best darts.
Rogg wrote:-- PT13 you're the man, what's the MVG-Lewis TV title count? I'd guess it's about 25-4 by now. When Lewis became a 2-time champ, MVG was nobody, ranked 38th at that Worlds. Wind forward 5 years and the great Dutchman has left him for dead.
In singles, and not counting World Series events:
Adrian Lewis
1. 2011 World Championship
2. 2012 World Championship
3. 2013 European Championship
4. 2014 UK Open
Michael van Gerwen
1. 2006 World Masters
2. 2012 World Grand Prix
3. 2013 Premier League
4. 2013 Players Championship Finals
5. 2014 World Championship
6. 2014 World Grand Prix
7. 2014 European Championship
8. 2015 Masters
9. 2015 UK Open
10. 2015 World Matchplay
11. 2015 European Championship
12. 2015 Grand Slam of Darts
13. 2015 Players Championship Finals
14. 2016 Masters
15. 2016 UK Open
16. 2016 Premier League
17. 2016 World Matchplay
18. 2016 World Grand Prix
19. 2016 European Championship
20. 2016 Grand Slam of Darts
21. 2016 Players Championship Finals
22. 2017 World Championship