Phil Taylor astonished by Luke Littler’s relaxed World Darts Championship preparation
Phil Taylor has expressed disbelief at Luke Littler’s nonchalant approach to defending his World Darts Championship title, revealing that the teenage prodigy will not bring a practice board to London ahead of his opening match against Darius Labanauskas at Alexandra Palace on Thursday, reports BritPanorama.
The 16-time world champion communicated his surprise through a recent interview, where he recounted a conversation with Littler about his preparations. “I said: ‘Are you not taking the practice board with you?’ He’s going down to London and staying in some rented house. He went: ‘No,’” Taylor shared.
With a cool £1m up for grabs, Littler’s laid-back attitude towards practice has left Taylor bewildered. “This is crazy. I’d never do that. But that’s his ability. He really is that natural. He’s brilliant,” he added, reflecting on Littler’s extraordinary talent.
During a visit to Finland last week, Taylor witnessed Littler’s impressive skills firsthand. Without throwing a single dart in the warming-up period, he stepped on stage and delivered a flawless performance, hitting ten 180s and averaging 110 in his game, which left Taylor astounded.
Littler’s casual demeanour in practice, where he can often be seen engaging in activities like playing video games instead of training, has not gone unnoticed. However, Taylor suspected that the young player must still be training significantly behind the scenes, saying, “I think backdoors, he’s putting the work in.”
The defending champion’s year has been remarkable, securing major titles such as the UK Open and World Matchplay, and propelling him to the top of the world ranking. Taylor advised that to stand a chance against him, opponents must take the first set to induce a degree of nervousness. “You’ve got to take that first set off him. Knock him down, make him nervous, that’s the only way you beat him,” he cautioned.
As the tournament unfolds, the contrast in preparation styles between legends like Taylor and emerging talents like Littler highlights the ever-evolving nature of darts at the highest level. It is a reminder that in sport, as in life, sometimes the unorthodox approaches yield the most remarkable results.
