Dimitri Van den Bergh says he feels like he is “reborn” after losing his leg brace in time to face five-time Premier League winner Michael van Gerwen on Monday.
The popular Belgian is preparing to make his debut in the competition and he will take on the might of Van Gerwen behind closed doors but in front of the Sky Sports cameras at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
Van den Bergh, who claimed his first TV major honour by winning the World Matchplay title at the same venue last year, will be playing without a leg brace for the first time since the tournament, following surgery on a knee problem.
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Van den Bergh has recently moved to the UK, basing himself in Leicester and practising with PDC ranking event winner Damon Heta.
Now ‘The DreamMaker’ is excited to be able to be given his opportunity to shine on the big stage once again in a competition he has always had ambitions of playing in.
“I’ve worked hard on the knee and I’m feeling good. The main goal was the Premier League and I’m still being careful,” Van den Bergh told the PDC.
“I’m still building the strength in the muscles, working on the balance and building my trust in my leg. Walking around without a knee brace is such a relief – it’s been a long road but I feel like I’m reborn.”
Format
The opening nine nights will see the 10 players face each other once in the round-robin phase. The bottom two players will be eliminated on Judgement Night.
The second phase will see the remaining eight players play each other once.
The top four in the table will face off in semi-finals and a final on the last night to decide a winner.
The 26-year-old added: “I’m very excited. It’s a dream come true to be a part of the Premier League and I definitely believe I can win it. Hopefully it can be something similar to the World Matchplay.”
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