Littler "getting the back up" of fellow pros amid great start to darts career

15 February 2024 , 16:04

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Luke Littler burst onto the scene at the PDC World Championships (Image: Getty Images)

Darts legend Phil 'The Power' Taylor has heaped praise on teenage sensation Luke Littler, revealing the 17-year-old has "got the backs up of the other pros".

Littler burst onto the scene at the PDC World Championships, beating former world champions Rob Cross and Raymond van Barneveld as he made it all the way to the final where he ultimately lost 7-4 to Luke Humphries.

However, his performances at Alexandra Palace earned him a wildcard spot in the Premier League and he has also won the Bahrain Masters. And Taylor has revealed that Littler's meteoric rise has managed to reignite his own interest in the sport, which waned after he retired.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Taylor branded Littler "absolutely fantastic" and backed him to "keep his feet on the ground" no matter how much success he enjoys in his career.

"I think he is absolutely fantastic, I have got to be honest with you, and I know he's got the backs up of the other pros which I love to see," the 16-time world champion said. "I wasn't really watching darts, I wasn't really interested in it and he's made me interested in watching it again.

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"I even watched some of the streaming yesterday [Players Championship 2 on Tuesday] so that's not me! But I've really enjoyed watching him. He's a great little player, he's got a great little personality and it hasn't affected him yet.

"I don't think it ever will. I think he will keep his feet on the ground no matter how many tournaments he achieves, I think he will be a nice, young lad."

Darts legend Phil Taylor has branded Littler "absolutely fantastic" (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Taylor's comments come after two-time world champion Peter Wright said Littler is "great for darts", but admitted his laid-back approach to darts could be "annoying". Speaking ahead of his match against Michael van Gerwen on Thursday, Wright explained: "We need that spark.

"It's great for all the youngsters what he's doing against the big boys. As for him not practising, it does annoy you when he's just sitting on his phone and then is like, 'Oh, do I have to play darts now!' It reminds me of Dennis Priestley.

"He used to sit and do crosswords and then it was, 'Oh it's time to play, is it?' Then he'd get up and play and smash you. Lucky enough, I haven't met Luke yet on the dartboard. That's next week in Newcastle. So I'm looking forward to that one."

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Matthew Cooper