Premier League Darts champion Luke Littler doesn’t hesitate now when it comes to deciding how much leisure time he wants.
Despite still being a newcomer on the darts scene, Littler has insisted if he wants a week off from competing, he’ll take it. The 17-year-old has jetted off to the United States to participate in the 2024 US Darts Masters, kicking off at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
The hype around ‘The Nuke’ has truly gone global as Littler made an appearance on The MMA Hour (via the Daily Express) ahead of his professional debut on American soil. The 2024 World Darts Championship runner-up explained his rapid success in the sport has granted him the luxury of choosing when he competes and when he puts his feet up.
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“Next week we’re going to Orlando,” he informed host Ariel Helwani when asked about his relentless schedule. “There’s a competition at the weekend, but I just said to my manager, ‘Can I have the week off, [I] don’t want to play, [Id’ rather] go on holiday’.”
When questioned about whether he feels more pressure when performing for a new audience, Littler said “not really” before clarifying he gets to “pick and choose” which competitions he participates in. As recently as December 2023, the teenager was still competing in junior tournaments, but now he has his pick of the pro circuit.
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(Image: The MMA Hour/YouTube)
Although still in the early stages of his career, Littler has impressively climbed to 25th in the PDC Order of Merit, a feat he aptly described as “crazy.” The Premier League winner, who avenged his defeat against world champion Luke Humphries in the Premier League final to bag a whopping £275,000 grand prize, has earnings that would make most darts professionals envious.
“I can pick and choose what I want to play from now on, because my rankings is good,” he explained. “And I’ve qualified for almost every event, so I can just pick and choose. And if I’m not up to [playing a certain event], or the travelling’s killing me off, then I’ll just have a week off.”
Not many darts players, let alone the majority of pros, can claim such flexibility. But that’s the kind of luxury that comes with being the sport’s most promising talent.
(Image: Getty Images)
American darts enthusiasts will get a proper introduction to the rising star when he takes to the stage at MSG this Friday. He’ll be going head-to-head with some familiar top seeds in the Big Apple, including Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, and Michael Smith.
The darting sensation has been enjoying the sights ahead of his New York debut, including an open-top bus tour and a visit to The Statue of Liberty. But it’s back to business for the burgeoning phenomenon as he aims to add more accolades to his name on foreign soil.