Michael van Gerwen was punched in the face during a bar attack in the Netherlands

“The guy obviously had a lot to drink and it seemed to me that his anger came out of nowhere,” van Gerwen, 37, told the Dutch Sport News website. Sportnieuws.nl, outsider.

“Just as he seemed to be heading for the exit, he was suddenly struck.

“That guy clearly knows he was wrong because he apologized via Instagram.”

Van Gerwen, who has decided not to press charges against the man responsible, said of his reaction to the incident: “Of course, it’s not right for me to go after him but it was an automatic shock response.”

The incident comes ahead of Van Gerwen’s return to Premier League action at Aberdeen on Thursday.

Luke Humphries beat the Dutchman 6-3 in the pair’s quarter-final clash in Scotland.

One of the greatest players in darts history, van Gerwen was ranked number one in the world from 2014 to 2021, during which time he won the Masters five times in a row.

With 48 major singles to his name, Van Gerwen is second only to England’s Phil Taylor on the PDC all-time list.