Luke Littler has admitted he could yet walk away from darts and stage a return before the age of 30. The Nuke, 18, has secured another major trophy in his rapidly expanding collection after dramatically claiming his maiden World Matchplay crown.
He defeated James Wade 18-13 in the final to become the youngest player ever to seal darts’ Triple Crown, which also encompasses the World Championship and the Premier League. Littler has also captured the Grand Slam of Darts and the UK Open since exploding onto the scene as a 16-year-old at the 2023/24 World Championship. With youth firmly on his side, there is conjecture that he could challenge the achievements of Phil Taylor, who secured 16 world titles and an identical number of World Matchplay victories. Littler would realistically require at least two decades of competition to approach The Power’s landmarks.
Nevertheless, the Nuke acknowledges he might be prepared for a break from the sport in a decade’s time. He told the Mirror: “People are thinking, ‘How long am I going to do it for?’ But for myself, 10 years’ time may come.”
Following the success he’s savoured over the past 18 months, Littler has already achieved millionaire status, while he has been predicted to earn beyond £10million throughout his career.
On his potential long-term plans, Littler added: “Hopefully, I’ve won everything that I’ve wanted [before I stop] and be financially secure.
“Then [after stopping] I might get bored in a year or two and come back. I’d probably say 10-15 years and see where my head’s at.”
Littler admits his hectic schedule, which includes an upcoming trip to Australia for a World Series event, leaves him little time to reflect on his remarkable achievements over the past year-and-a-half.
He said: “There’s not enough time to sit back and look at what I’ve done. When I’ve got a week off, I don’t want to be sat down analysing what I’ve done in the past. I know what I’ve done, I can see the trophies in my living room. It’s about living in the moment.”
Commenting on his burgeoning collection of trophies, Littler added: “Yeah, there’s not a lot of room [for trophies]. I think there might have to be some trophy cabinets ordered!”
Littler has partnered with KP for the ‘Nuts for Darts’ campaign, which is offering one lucky pub the chance to host the world champion for an evening of darts with patrons.
He said: “We need people to go to their landlords and get them to enter to get an appearance from me in their own pub. It’s a brilliant idea by KP.”
KP Nuts ‘re giving one lucky pub the chance to win an appearance from Luke Littler as part of the ‘Nuts for Darts’ campaign. Rally your landlord to pick up a promotional pub cards to enter from 11th August.