"Michael van Gerwen has said 'no, I don't need to [practice] because I play enough' and I think that was very honest of him"
Friday 2 March 2018 16:22, UK
Playing tournaments week in, week out, helps world No 1 Michael van Gerwen keep himself fresh so he "never gets tired of looking at the target," says Wayne Mardle.
The Dutchman has darts running through his veins and while other players may take to the practice boards, Van Gerwen feels he plays enough competitions in order to keep himself hungry.
Be it a qualifying event where he is up against his opponent with just the referee keeping score, or in front of a record-breaking 12,000 fans in Berlin, the mindset of the world No 1 does not change.
Mardle says the multiple major winner's mentality for the game remains undiminished and he is an example to budding darts players around the globe.
We know he's a young man who has the darting world at his feet, but you still have to keep that aggression going and that want.
The Sky Sports pundit said: "I've got a lot of time for Michael, but the one thing about him is that he's very, very honest. There's no mucking around with him which is why I asked the question to him in Berlin about practising in between tournaments.
"There's some out there like Michael Smith and Simon Whitlock who practice religiously and they practice when they're not kind of interested even when they might want a day off. But they find the graft within them to go and practice.
"Michael van Gerwen has said 'no, I don't need to because I play enough' and I think that was very honest of him. Maybe that's why he's got that aggression all the time. Maybe because he's not beating himself up on the practice board. Maybe because he's not tired of the looking at the target, which you can become. He's keeping himself fresh even when he plays a lot.
"We know he's a young man who has the darting world at his feet, but you still have to keep that aggression going and that want."
Van Gerwen was brutally honest during his interview, openly admitting how much he hates seeing a fellow professional win silverware when he is not participating.
"When I said to him about playing in a lot of events and when you don't do you hate seeing other people win? He said: 'Yeah, how did he win that? He wouldn't have won that if I was there'. So even when he's not in it, he thinks he should win it. The man's amazing."
Wayne Mardle was speaking to Sky Sports' Raz Mirza. The 2018 Premier League heads to the First Direct Arena in Leeds next Thursday with coverage underway from 7pm on Sky Sports Action & Sky Sports Main Event from 9.45pm. Ten weeks of tungsten action will then continue through to the season's conclusion with the Play-Offs on May 17 at The O2 in London.
Keep up to date with the latest darts news, previews, reports, reaction and expert analysis. Get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts- don't forget to use #LoveTheDarts
