Luke Littler helps Luke Humphries’ burnout claims over gruelling darts schedule
Luke Littler has backed world No.1 Luke Humphries after his Premier League rival admitted he was struggling with the demands of the PDC tour
Luke Littler has sounded the alarm on the issue of top darts players facing burnout, following world No. 1 Luke Humphries’ confession that his games had become a “chore.”
Despite social media’s hasty backlash to Humphries’ comments, showing a glaring lack of understanding, Luke the Nuke – only in his second season on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit – stood by his competitor.
The 18 year old Littler advised the former world champion to concentrate on the 17-week Premier League roadshow, where the Lukes of Hazard are currently leading the pack.
As he prepares for a Players Championship double-header in Leicester this week, Littler cautioned, as per the Mirror: “It’s not good to see a player like Luke Humphries, the world No.1, admit he’s struggling.
“I totally agree with him, and Gerwyn Price said the same thing last night – it’s tough, especially when players are travelling to places where there are no direct flights and then you have to catch a train to reach the venue.
“I think Luke knows he has to balance his schedule and maybe focus on the Premier League. That’s why I’ve taken time off this year and I’ve not gone to the last two European Tour events.
“After I played against Luke in the final of the Premier League night in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago, we both said we were tired. I think we averaged around 94 (93.62 and 93.31) in that game and I was just happy to get the win.”
Humphries was battling it out in his 11th tourney of the year when he hit the semi-finals, only to be knocked out by the eventual champ Stephen Bunting at the International Darts Open in Germany on Sunday.
Feeling the burn, he said: “I feel a little bit emotionless. I feel like I’m up here and my emotions are all over the place.
“It’s not that I don’t want to be here, but it just seems a chore for me at the moment. I’m playing too much and I need to give something away. I need a break – it’s no good for my mental state.”
The keyboard warriors on social media weren’t exactly handing out hugs, with some comments so harsh you’d think twice about letting these folks near anything sharper than a cotton bud. Humphries wasn’t having any of it, firing back: “That’s the last time I ever confess my real feelings to the public.”
He also threw down a warning to fans, suggesting they might end up with darts stars doling out cookie-cutter responses in interviews – “all the same answers in interviews like robots” – if this is the level of empathy on offer during the relentless PDC grind.
Price, gearing up for his seventh straight win against Littler in the BetMGM Premier League in Manchester come Thursday night, is singing from the same hymn sheet as Humphries about the toll of constant travel and play.
After a close shave loss to Nathan Aspinall in Riesa, a wee spot some 40 miles off Dresden, the ‘Iceman’ took to socials saying: “Gutted to lose today but so happy to be on the way home. Too much darts.”
