Luke Littler may be gearing up to defend his title at the Grand Slam of Darts – but ‘The Nuke’ already has a bigger goal in mind ahead ot next month’s World Championship.
This time last year, Littler stormed to the Grand Slam title in style, thrashing Martin Lukeman 16-2 in the final to take home his ranking major title.
And that win kickstarted a remarkable run of major titles for the 18-year-old, who has gone on to win the World Championship, the UK Open, the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix in just his second year as a pro.
Littler has risen all the way up to second in the world rankings, and insisted that his win at the Grand Slam was ‘crucial’ in opening the floodgates and giving him even more confidence to win titles and dominate the sport.
‘Any title is great but that first title was crucial,’ he told Metro ahead of his return to Wolverhampton to defend the Grand Slam title.
‘Obviously, not many people get the chance to win these major competitions, but for myself, I’ve been playing really well since I burst onto the scene.
‘I’ve just been keeping winning and adding more titles to my record. I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.’
Only three players – Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerween and Gerwyn Price – have ever won the Grand Slam title in back-to-back years, but that opportunity is now afforded to Littler over the next week.
Earlier in the season, The Nuke fell short in the finals of the Premier League and World Series of Darts when looking to defend the trophies he had won the previous year.
However, despite those defeats, Littler, speaking on a call set up by KP Nuts, who are offering customers the chance to win £180 every 180 minutes, insists he feels no added pressure when entering the week with the tag of defending champion on his back.
‘I wouldn’t say pressure. Obviously, the reigning champion, people expect the reigning champion to come back and do well because he’s won here before,’ Littler added.
‘But I’ll be honest, some venues this year I’ve come into and I’m like, ‘yeah, I don’t remember this from last year’, so it’s pretty much new to me. But I know I’ve got the winning feeling on stage, I’ve obviously picked up the trophy, so hopefully I can go on and do it again.’
Before he can begin to realise his ambitions of defending the title, Littler will first have to navigate his four-man group, which includes World Cup of Darts winner Daryl Gurney, as well as Connor Scott and Karel Sedlacek.
‘It’s not an easy group; nothing’s easy, no matter what tournament it is, it should be very interesting,’ he said.
‘Obviously Daryl picking up a title this year with Josh Rock at the World Cup, and obviously Connor Scott, he’s been here, there and everywhere on the Pro Tour and the Challenge Tour.
‘And Karel Sedlacek from Czech Republic, he can throw a really good dart on his day, played him a few times on the World Series stage. Whatever happens on the day, it happens.’
And while the Grand Slam is just one of the many opportunities for major silverware in a hectic next few months, Littler has another more important goal in mind before his return to Ally Pally for the Worlds.
‘This main goal now is to get to World No. 1, more than any other trophy. Obviously, winning a trophy will help me do that, but I want that next to my name and to try and do it before the Worlds.
‘We’ve got the Grand Slam and the Players’ Championships down in Minehead, but I’ve just got to keep playing well. It’s in my mind.
‘I always say if you’re World No. 1, you’re the best in the world, no matter if you get a beat in first round near enough every tournament. You’re World No1 for a reason, because you’re the best. That’s what I want.’
KP Nuts are offering customers the chance to win £180 every 180 minutes. Just buy a bag of KP Nuts from your local convenience store and scan the QR code for a chance to win.
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