Luke Littler has enjoyed a remarkable rise this year and darts legend Phil Taylor believes the “only thing that will upset” the teenager’s ascent is the sport’s relentless travel schedule
Darts legend Phil Taylor has warned Luke Littler that the “very tiresome” schedule is the only thing that will upset his rise.
Littler has enjoyed an incredible rise in 2024, finishing runner-up on his World Darts Championship debut and also winning the Premier League Darts tournament. The 17-year-old is already one of the sport’s biggest stars, but Taylor has warned the amount of travelling required by the relentless PDC schedule could hamper his career.
“He’s done brilliant fair play to the lad,” Taylor told YO1 Radio. “The only thing that will upset Luke at the minute, is the travelling. It is very tiresome and he’s not used to it. It’s not just about darts anymore, there’s a lot more involved.”
Taylor, meanwhile, is set to retire from darts at the end of the year and is confident he will be ready to feature at the World Seniors Matchplay even next month as he continues his recovery from hip replacement surgery.
The event is set to be Taylor’s penultimate tournament appearance and the 16-time world champion is hoping to bow out with a victory. “I had an operation about seven weeks ago,” he explained.
“Yeah, I’m walking now! It wasn’t too bad. A bit sore in the beginning, but just had a few painkillers. It was strange. The surgeon said to me, you’ve got one leg longer than the other and I’ve levelled you up!
“It does feel strange. It’s just incredibly weird. I would love to win a Seniors, I’ve got to be honest. I wasn’t right before, so hopefully, now that I’ve had my operation and everything, I can start playing properly.
“I’ll give it a good go and I’m really looking forward to it! I’ve got John Henderson, he’s come over now. In the next twelve months I think we’ll see more big names coming over.”
American Leonard Gates won last year’s World Seniors Matchplay event after beating Jim McEwan 9-6 in the final and he will kick off his title defence against James Richardson. And Taylor believes Gates is one of the favourites to win the event, adding: “He’s capable. He’s playing tournaments and he’s got the match practice.”
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