31 January 2024 , 18:03
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One of Luke Litter's more experienced rivals has warned the 17-year-old that his rapid ascent into Premier League Darts will "come at a cost further down the line."
James Wade, who became the youngest player to win a major PDC title aged 24 back in 2007, has suggested that Littler should've taken steadier steps following his incredible campaign at the PDC World Championship in London over the festive period. The Warrington prodigy recently won the Bahrain Masters by beating former world No.1 Michael van Gerwen and on Thursday he'll make his Premier League debut in Cardiff against Luke Humphries, the man who bested him at Alexandra Palace earlier this month.
But Wade, now 40, has warned Littler about the price which he could pay in future. "A huge tournament in the limelight should have been followed by a year of keeping his head down, picking up ranking points, learning about his game, and gradually becoming a force to be reckoned with," the Surrey ace wrote in his column for the Daily Star.
"But Littler has already become the PDC's biggest asset and they want to parade him around the country - and in the case of the World Series, the globe - while they have him. I will caveat by saying that he might revel in it, lap it up and finish top of the top four - but ultimately that will come at a cost further down the line."
Wade went on to write: "The first major one will be his ability to qualify for events. It is all well and good being in exhibitions like the World Series and the Premier League - by the way, I would have bitten your hand off to be in them - but what he needs now is ranking points.
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"It will be slightly strange if he ends up unqualified for big ranking events because of the stresses and strains of the Premier League. All that said, it will certainly be exciting to find out how it all pans out.
Your turn! How should Luke Littler avoid burnout? Give us your verdict in the comments section.
Darts rival James Wade has issued a warning (Luke Walker/Getty Images)Littler recently addressed his "crazy schedule," with the once little-known teenager now being a global star. "When I was going to the airport for Bahrain I said to my mum that I just wanted 10-20 weeks off, please, but the schedule is just crazy," he explained.
"I know when I get a day off, I just make the most of it, and I have always said once I get into the venue, that is when I am in the zone. I've seen quite a few people have said, 'Will the pressure get to him?'
"But I just do what I do, do what I do best and throw my darts in the board. I don't really want to practise at home, because once I get a day off I don't want to be spending hours and hours on the board, so I spend hours and hours on my Xbox instead."