Michael van Gerwen has branded one darts player's walk-on as 'horrific' - before appearing to jokingly claim it led to his early exit from the World Championship.
Van Gerwen defeated Japan's Mitsuhiko Tatsunami 3-1 in round one on Thursday evening, though didn't have things all his own way.
The two-time world champion lost the first set after Tatsunami broke his throw in the final leg.
And the Japanese debutant was 2-1 up in legs on throw during the fourth set, but Van Gerwen broke back before taking the final leg to win 3-1.
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One top 32 player who didn't make it through to the second round is Dimitri van den Bergh, who lost in straight sets to Scotland's Darren Beveridge.
The Belgian, 31, was regarded as one of the sport's top talents as he rose up the ranks, and won the 2020 World Matchplay and 2024 UK Open titles.
But he struggled for form at the beginning of 2025 following a run to the semi-finals at the Masters, and took an indefinite break from the sport in April.
Following his return in June, Van den Bergh said he would not be playing ProTour events on a full-time basis, though appeared to renege on that statement as he entered all 18 Players Championship events from then on before the World Championship.
However, he failed to qualify for the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam tournaments, with his ProTour absence costing him a place in the Players Championship Finals.
Although he entered the tournament ranked as world number 23, he is already down to 25th and faces the prospect of dropping down further.
Van den Bergh is also defending a significant amount of prize money on the two-year Order of Merit next season, having reached two major ranking semi-finals in 2024 alongside his UK Open.
The Belgian could therefore find himself at risk of dropping off the PDC main tour altogether, even if that prospect appears more unlikely than not.
Now, Van Gerwen has launched into a brutal criticism of the 31-year-old, stating that his previous walk-on - which saw him dance on stage to Pharrell Williams' 'Happy' - was 'horrific'.
The Dutchman added that the walk-on contributed to his World Championship exit - though there was a smile on his face as he delivered the line to suggest that he wasn't being entirely serious, even if his general criticism of walk-ons was.
"Some dart players now think their walk-on music makes them a better dart player," he told talkSPORT.
"Some people have started to believe too much in themselves now. They all milk it because their ability is a little bit less, so they have to try and get the crowd on their side somehow.
"It [Van den Bergh's walk-on] was horrific. The worst one ever. That's why he's at home now and I'm here."
Topics: Michael van Gerwen, Darts, World Darts Championship
Ryan Smart