Luke Littler has claimed Michael van Gerwen tries to psych him out before they play.
The youngster has faced off with Van Gerwen in some thrilling contests, including his World Championship final victory earlier this year. And the 18-year-old talent recently spilled the beans on Van Gerwen’s behind-the-scenes tactics during a chat on the Stick to Football podcast.
He said (via the Express): “Before every tournament, before we go on stage, we throw for nearest bull to see who goes first and every time I’ll go over to Michael van Gerwen, and he’ll try to get in my head about hitting the bullseye first but always get it before he does!”
Littler seems to have Van Gerwen’s number having triumphed in seven of their past 10 matchups and currently dominating in this year’s Premier League – currently leaving second-place Luke Humphries lagging by eight points as they gear up for May’s finals. Fuelled by the thrill of the sport’s pinnacle moments, Littler admitted that the only time he skips tournaments is for a breather from the relentless game schedule.
But even with the hectic pace, playing darts remains his passion. He continued: “The only reason why I pull out of tournaments is to get a bit of a break from the sport. We’re playing every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at least, so we need that break.
“Despite the busy schedule, I still enjoy playing and I love the walk ons and being on stage in front of the fans, it’s great. For me, if your opponent is sat on a double to win and you’ve got a 100+ checkout, but I think to myself to let him go and I’ll hit. The pressure moments are my favourite part of the sport.
“The fans will get on your back if you miss your first dart at a checkout and if you’re miles out, then the pressure is on, but when it goes in on the third dart, it’s amazing.” Darts’ popularity has soared in recent years, but so too has the quality on stage.
And Littler believes the biggest stars from years gone by would struggle to win so many tournaments against the current crop. However, he is still eyeing Phil Taylor’s record of 16 World Championships over the course of his career.
He explained: “Phil Taylor was my idol. If I can be bothered to stay in darts for that time, I could maybe beat his record. He was 52 when he won his 16th world title. If I want to, then I will.
“There’s a record there to be broken, but it’s going to take some doing. He also won the World Matchplay 16 times, so he’s won two of the big majors 16 times – it’ll take some doing.
“[The competition] is a lot better now. You still had Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow – it was still a good field, but nowadays, I think Phil would struggle.”
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