Phil Taylor is still in regular contact with Luke Littler’s family and has shared his advice for staying at the top. He said: “If I could give him one piece of advice, it wouldn’t be anything to do with his darts or the way he navigates his way around the board.
“I would tell him, ‘Shoes – if you’re not standing comfortably on the oche, you’re not going to hit a target the size of your little fingernail, so make sure your shoes fit perfectly and take two or three pairs with you everywhere.’ And sleep – make sure you get enough rest. I still take a mattress topper with me everywhere I go because some hotels beds are like sleeping in the middle of the road. Again, your darts won’t go where you want them to land if you are bleary-eyed after a restless night.”
Taylor, 64, believes that Littler could potentially eclipse his record haul of 16 world titles, given the teenager’s early start in the sport. The ‘Power’ was almost 30 when he clinched his first world championship in 1990, thrashing his mentor Eric Bristow in the final.
However, Littler has already made history at 17 by defeating Michael van Gerwen to become the youngest darts world champion ever, and Taylor believes time is on ‘The Nuke’s’ side to aim for the title of the greatest player of all time.
Taylor, who claimed his last PDC World Championship at 52 in 2013 against a then 23-year-old Van Gerwen, watched Littler’s explosive performance at Alexandra Palace and commented: “It’s entirely up to Luke how long he plays, how dedicated he remains and many titles he wins. For now, just let the kid play. He’s a world champion at 17 years old, the youngest to do it by a mile, and he’s just brilliant.”
Taylor also reflected on his future prospects, saying: “When people ask how many world titles he can win, don’t forget he has all the time in the world if he wants it.” Recalling his own journey, Taylor noted: “I was nearly 30 when I won my first world championship, and Paul Lim won more than twice as much as me for hitting a nine-darter as I got for winning the whole thing.
“To win 16 of them in a 23-year period took a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifices. Only Luke himself knows, deep down, if he is prepared to put in the hours, and it’s up to him whether he wins another one, or five, or 15, 16, 17 and goes past me – but he’s young enough to do it.”
He also added: “Let’s enjoy him, let’s celebrate a kid who is the best in the world at what he does, and worry later about how much he’s achieved when he decides to stop. But if he’s still playing at 40, it will mean he’s won a lot more.”
Taylor was left in awe of Littler’s performance as he watched him dismantle the Dutch green machine, who took over from ‘The Power’ as world No. 1 back in 2014.
He remarked on the fearless nature of the new generation, stating: “Youngsters now are fearless, almost disrespectful. They don’t give tuppence who you are or what you’ve done – they are not frightened of anyone, you are there to be beaten.”
Reflecting on the changing dynamics within the sport, Taylor observed: “Michael used to intimidate his opponents and scare them to death. They would see that green shirt and they would melt, but I think that fear factor has gone now.
“He had chances to win the first two sets, and when he didn’t take them it was like a rabbit in headlights – and once it was 4-0 there was no way back. It comes to us all. Michael has been a fantastic player for a long time, and only he knows whether the fire is still burning as hot, but he was well-beaten.”
Littler is set to take a well-deserved break, with plans to return to the game when he aims to retain his Bahrain Darts Masters title on January 16. Building on the stunning feat of reaching the World Championship final at just 16, Littler continued to astonish by clinching his first PDC title and even achieved the extraordinary – nailing a nine-darter against Nathan Aspinall in the very first leg of the tournament.
Reflecting on his triumph last year, Littler remarked: “I didn’t know too much about Bahrain, but to clinch the first title of 2024 was to announce, ‘I have arrived on the World Series’ – and to declare the World Championship wasn’t just a lucky break.
“But now I know darts is on the curriculum in Bahrain. And the golden palm tree trophy is lovely, it’s one of the nicer looking ones.”
The darts sensation has his sights set on international glory too. Littler is on track to partner Luke Humphries at the World Cup of Darts, where England will defend the title they won in Frankfurt last June.
Humphries and Michael Smith lifted the trophy in 2024 but, as the PDC’s second-ranked player, Littler is now poised to step in. England traditionally selects their two top-ranked players for the tournament, and Littler can’t wait to represent his country.
He said: “Last year people didn’t know it was based on your ranking and everyone was asking, ‘Why is Luke Littler not in it?’ I was like, ‘Because I’ve only just started my career.’ But now I’m pretty much in with Luke and I can’t wait to represent my country.”
