Michael van Gerwen is one game away from winning his fourth PDC World Darts Championship title as he takes on Luke Littler at Alexandra Palace tonight.

The Dutchman is widely considered as one of the greatest players of all time, with 157 PDC titles to his name. But he heads into Friday night's grand final as the underdog, with 17-year-old Littler tipped to go all the way after losing out to Luke Humphries in the final 12 months ago.

Not only is there glory and the small matter of a £500,000 winning jackpot on the line, but van Gerwen will also be keen to keep hold of his record of being the youngest world champion ever, having won the title at the age of 24 in 2014.

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Having previously reigned as world No.1 for an incredible seven years between 2014 and 2021, the last few years have been less dominant by the 35-year-old's lofty standards. Now ranked third in the world, he claimed title wins in the World Series Finals and the Premier League in 2023, but is now keen to get his hands back on the biggest prize of all.

However, van Gerwen's slight dip in form has corresponded with an agonising health struggle he has faced over the last few years.

The darts ace had a 'severe' underbite, where his upper jaw was smaller than his lower one, which affected not only his bite but also his breathing and his sleep. The issue has caused him significant discomfort, revealing that "even a slice of ham" had become tough to bite into.

Since the beginning of last year, he has undergone two surgeries to correct the issues and took a short break from darts in order to focus on his recovery. One of the procedures required him to have both his upper and lower jaw broken, while he also needs to wear braces for the next two years.

“I’ll have an operation in which they’re going to break my upper jaw and lower jaw," he previously explained. "Put them right on each other. Then it’s all about recovery. Two years more in a brace. Then I’m about finished.

“Between the first operation this year and the second one, there has to be a minimum of one year. It’s because my upper jaw is a lot smaller than my lower jaw. My underbite is over a centimetre.

“Even a slice of ham, I cannot even bite properly. And because my upper jaw is too small also you get less oxygen through your nose. That creates headaches, less sleep, things like that.

“You have to plan things, especially with my schedule. I can still eat. But only you bite wrongly. You don’t eat how you should eat," van Gerwen added.

“It’s the same as the year before with my Carpal tunnel syndrome. It had to happen. There are no other options. For me, it’s not really a big thing. Given what I have gone through, sometimes I do underestimate that. I think to myself: ‘Why am I so hard on myself all the time?’ But that’s the way I am.”

While he is now into the final part of the lenghty treatment programme, van Gerwen has admitted that a few recent performances are still being disrupted by some discomfort.

After beating Jonny Clayton in the World Series last year, he told De Telegraaf: "From the beginning, it was fighting, but I have not felt well all day.

"In front of the home crowd, you put extra pressure on yourself anyway. I have been playing very well the last couple of weeks, but I lost matches while throwing an average of 100+. Sure, there's more in the tank, but anything that doesn't help you on the way up becomes a minor irritation.

"Anyone who's ever had root canal treatment and knows what that feels like, I can tell this is a little boy compared to what I went through," he added. "That really didn't feel good, but it has to be to keep it together. My lower jaw is searching and wants to go back to its old position. I had a severe underbite. A steak or a tough baguette, that's still a no-go."