Gian van Veen has been urged to carefully manage his upcoming schedule following kidney stone surgery, with concerns growing after the world number three showed clear signs of fatigue in his Berlin return — losing 6-1 to Gerwyn Price in a Premier League quarter-final that exposed just how much the medical ordeal had taken out of him.
Van Veen was hospitalised after developing kidney stones ahead of Night Seven in Dublin, which he was forced to miss entirely. The situation proved more serious than initially feared. The painful condition was compounded by an infection, and the Dutchman was eventually forced to undergo surgery in hospital after being unable to pass the stones naturally.
Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast during his recovery, Van Veen gave an unvarnished picture of where his body was at. “I notice I’ve lost a lot of strength and energy over the past week, I get tired very quickly,” he said. “I also threw for a quarter of an hour on Sunday, but I was completely spent and wiped out. I really need to build up over the coming days, otherwise it’ll be difficult.”
He also explained why surgery had been unavoidable: “I tried for two days to pass the kidney stones so I wouldn’t need surgery, but that wasn’t possible due to an infection.”
Despite those stark admissions, Van Veen travelled to Berlin for Night Eight — driven by the determination to protect what had been a strong Premier League debut. “Missing last week has left its mark on the standings. Currently sitting in sixth place,” he posted on social media. “The road back is ongoing and I’m excited to be here again. Time to get back to work.” He also acknowledged the line between commitment and caution: “As important as the Premier League is, my health is more important. I need to listen to my body and not rush into any decisions.”
The Berlin result told its own story. Price, who had privately messaged Van Veen before the night to suggest a more cautious approach, dispatched him 6-1 in a performance that offered little resistance. “I messaged him [Gian] and said, ‘maybe you should take another week off’. He saw the funny side but I’m glad he’s back,” Price said ahead of the night.
The upcoming schedule offers little respite. Players Championships 7 and 8 take place in Leicester this week, before Manchester’s AO Arena hosts Night Nine of the Premier League on Thursday — where Van Veen faces a rematch with Luke Littler, the man who beat him 7-1 in January’s World Championship final. The German Darts Grand Prix in Munich follows the weekend after.
Van Veen had flagged as far back as January that his elevated standings would place unprecedented demands on his calendar. “I’ll have to skip some of the smaller tournaments to get my rest. That really is necessary,” he said at the time. The kidney stone episode has made that calculation significantly more pressing.
He is absent from the Leicester ProTour double-header this week — a sign those around him are taking the situation seriously. The bigger test comes Thursday in Manchester, where he has everything to play for in the race for a play-off spot, but everything to lose if he pushes himself before his body is genuinely ready.
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