Online Reporter
PHIL TAYLOR believes Luke Littler is young enough and good enough to beat his record 16 world titles.
But Taylor has given the teenage sensation two tips to stay at the top — comfortable shoes and a personal mattress topper.
Littler, 17, became the youngest world champion in history on Friday when he thumped three-time Alexandra Palace winner Michael van Gerwen 7-3 to lift his first crown.
It completed an astonishing first year on the circuit for Littler, who has won 11 titles and gone second in the world rankings.
Littler is some way behind Taylor’s 16 titles — 11 more than anyone else in the sport.
But Taylor did not win his first until the age of 29 when he beat the late Eric Bristow 6-1 back in 1990 — and knows time is on Littler’s side.
Taylor, 64, said: “It’s entirely up to Luke how long he plays, how dedicated he remains and how many titles he wins.
“For now, just let the kid play.
“He’s a world champion at 17 years old, the youngest to do it by a mile, and he’s just brilliant.
“I was nearly 30 when I won my first world championship — and Paul Lim won more than twice as much as me for hitting a nine-darter as I got for winning the whole thing.
“To win 16 of them in a 23-year period took a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifices.
“Only Luke himself knows, deep down, if he is prepared to put in the hours, and it’s entirely up to him whether he wins another one, or five, or 15, 16, 17 and goes past me.
“But he’s young enough to do it.”
Taylor enjoyed a 31-year professional career, so knows all about longevity in the game.
He officially hung up his flights in 2024 after competing on the senior tour.
Littler has already had a taste of the gruelling demands which come with being one of the best players on the planet.
He played close to 200 matches on the tour last year — a remarkable ask for such a young player in his debut season.
Taylor said: “If I could give him one piece of advice, or one tip to help him stay at the top, it wouldn’t be anything to do with his darts or the way he navigates his way around the board.
“I would tell him shoes.
“If you’re not standing comfortably on the oche, you’re not going to hit a target the size of your little fingernail, so make sure your shoes fit perfectly — and take two or three pairs with you everywhere.
“And sleep. Make sure you get enough rest. I still take a mattress topper with me everywhere I go because some hotel beds are like sleeping in the middle of the road. Your darts won’t go where you want them to land if you are bleary-eyed after a restless night.” — Sun.
