Luke Littler: Teenager has to cope with ridiculous level of pressure at World Darts Championship | Arrows News

Legendary John Bart says teenager Luke Littler has to live with “ridiculous” levels of pressure as he tries to win his first World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.

Littler came within millimeters of nine darts when he beat Ryan Meikle in record-breaking fashion on Saturday night.

The 17-year-old returned to the big stage 12 months after his impressive debut to the final and showed everyone why he is the favorite to win the title this year.

Littler was far from perfect as a rusher when he gave up 12 targets But she achieved an impressive average of 140.91 in the final set to win 3-1.

This is the record for the highest average in a single set at a World Championship as the Warrington player continues to break barriers.

The win was extremely emotional for Littler, who cut his onstage interview short after he broke down in tears.

“I don’t think anyone can understand the amount of pressure that puts on them,” Bart said. Sky Sports. “There may be a few people who have played the game who might understand it, but certainly no one at his age has had to deal with it.

“Just the huge amount of demands on his time and any chance of him not performing, I think that really weighs on him. I’m sure there’s a lot of relief for him.”

“I’m sure he’s disappointed about losing the Nine Arrow, but I don’t think it has anything to do with the release in the end. I think he’s healthy enough.”

“You have a lot of emotions built up there, and you have to control that while you’re playing. That’s why he’s a winner. You know, if he needs a little time to himself afterward, that’s OK.”

Littler arrived at the tournament as the biggest name in the sport and ‘The Nuke’ bookended his return to Ally Pally after Christmas against either Ritchie Edhouse or Ian White in the third round.

“He was having fun, probably going to all these new places, playing these tournaments that he had never played before, winning a lot of them, playing a lot of matches,” Bart continued. “If you like playing darts, it’s fun to play a lot of games.

“He had a great time, but I think the whole reality of what he did in the game that started in the World Series last year finally came crashing down on him after the win.

“It’s great it wasn’t after the loss, because it didn’t look fair after everything he did for the game.

“It occurred to me watching Luke that none of his match-playing experiences last year helped him, I don’t think, because I think he’s a completely different player now. He has different expectations of himself and of his opponents.” What will they do against him?

“There was a bit of embarrassment last year, when I played with a 16-year-old and the players didn’t know what to do with it. Would I be embarrassed if I lost, maybe?” Those are old ideas, aren’t they this year – he’s the favorite in the tournament.

“He’s the god of darts in the eyes of a lot of people who have been waiting for him. That’s a lot to live up to for him. I think this was his first experience of what a real professional career in the world championships is like.”

“The levels of expectations, the ridiculous level of pressure he will have to live with. It won’t go away, it will be like that every time he plays, but he will adapt, I’m sure.”

Watch the World Darts Championship on Sky Sports

Watch all the events in 2025 PDC World Darts Championship From Alexandra Palace Sky Sports Darts As Luke Humphries defends his title with Littler, Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson, they each challenge ‘Cool Hand’ for the Sid Waddell Trophy – and you can enjoy the best here.

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