Michael van Gerwen is reportedly ‘upset’ in the wake of his defeat to Luke Humphries in the final of the World Darts Championship on Friday night.
The Dutchman had gone into the showdown at Alexandra Palace hoping to become a four-time world champion, having flourished at the competition.
Yet Van Gerwen was no match for Littler, with the 17-year-old securing glory with an emphatic 7-3 victory.
The writing was on the wall right from the start, with Van Gerwen falling 4-0 down against his young rival.
Michael van Gerwen is reportedly ‘upset’ in the wake of his defeat to Luke Humphries in the final of the World Darts Championship on Friday night
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Though he was able to claw his way back into contention, Littler produced a masterclass to win the Sid Waddell trophy and etch his name into the history books.
Van Gerwen showed class immediately after the showdown, with the 35-year-old congratulating his young rival on his remarkable achievement.
But his close friend and compatriot, Vincent van der Voort, has now revealed the veteran is ‘upset’ by his failure to lift the prize.
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He told the Darts Draait Door podcast: “He is so upset about the first four sets.
“He finds that incomprehensible and unforgivable for himself at that moment. You notice that he is so disappointed.
“If Gian [van Veen] comes second at this World Championship, he will think it was a really top tournament. But if you have already won it three times, then you experience second place very differently.
“Second is a very good performance. Out of 96 men, biggest tournament of the year.
“But if you have won it three times, you think it does not count.”
To make matters worse for Van Gerwen, Littler has now risen above the Dutchman to second in the PDC Order of Merit after securing glory in the capital.
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Michael van Gerwen was no match for Luke Littler in Friday’s World Darts Championship final clash
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Yet Van der Voort insists defeat will only strengthen his countryman’s resolve and has backed Van Gerwen to knuckle down and work twice as hard in order to show he’s still one of the players to beat on the tour.
“If he is smart, he will make it [practice] for an hour every two days,” he continued.
“If you don’t do anything for two weeks, you are back to square one. Normally you can easily stop for two weeks but not now.
Michael van Gerwen is now below Luke Littler in the PDC Order of Merit following Friday night’s enthralling World Darts Championship clash
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“It’s a matter of building it up again. It just wasn’t good enough before that.
“You can build up to real top form again. I still think we see Michael at 80 per cent.
“Taking a rest is really good and he deserves it now. But you have to keep up with the training.”