Darts player Michael van Gerwen was punched in the face by a stranger in a bar in the Netherlands on Monday.
In footage shared online, Van Gerwen can be seen talking with a man and a woman in a bar in the city of Den Bosch on King’s Day – a public holiday in Van Gerwen’s native country.
When the man suddenly hits Van Gerwen in the face, security are shown to pull the attacker away as Van Gerwen pursues him across the bar.
Former world number one Van Gerwen says the attacker “clearly had too much to drink” and also expresses regret at his response to the incident.
“That man had clearly had too much to drink and it felt to me like his anger came out of nowhere,” Van Gerwen, 37, told Dutch sport news website Sportnieuws.nl, external.
“Just as he seemed to be heading for the exit, he suddenly lashed out.
“That man clearly knows he was in the wrong because he apologised via Instagram.”
Van Gerwen, who has decided not to press charges against the person responsible, said of his reaction to the incident: “Of course, it’s not right for me to go after him but that was an automatic reaction of shock.”
The incident occurred before Van Gerwen was back in Premier League action in 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 world number one between 2014 and 2021, during which period he won the Masters five times in a row.
With 48 majors singles to his name, Van Gerwen is ranked second in the PDC’s all-time list behind England’s Phil Taylor.