Phil Taylor has offered advice to Luke Littler’s rivals on how to beat the world champion, but it is going to be easier said than done.
The Nuke begins the defence of his World Darts Championship title on Thursday night when he faces Darius Labanauskas at Alexandra Palace.
The 18-year-old has not exactly struggled with the pressure of being world champion, enjoying a stellar year on the professional circuit.
Littler has won the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals, climbing to world number one in the process.
He goes in as hot favourite to defend his title, but Taylor says there is a way he can be beaten, it just isn’t easy.
The 16-time world champion says it is all about timing, with opponents needing to start well to put Littler under pressure and be ready to pounce when he inevitably dips in standard over the long matches.
‘You’ve got to take that first set off him,’ Taylor told The Sun. ‘Knock him down, make him nervous, that’s the only way you beat him.
‘The one thing with Luke, his game does dip a little bit, in a patch. Mine did. That’s when you’ve got to keep the pressure on.’
Taylor has been stunned by the preparation Littler puts in ahead of playing, or the apparent lack of preparation.
The Power was always an incessant practicer and the Nuke’s approach is baffling to him.
‘I was with him last week in Finland and he’s so confident,’ said Taylor.
2026 PDC World Darts Championship prize money
Winner: £1,000,000
Runner-up: £400,000
Semi-finalists: £200,000
Quarter-finalists: £100,000
Fourth round losers: £60,000
Third round losers: £35,000
Second round losers: £25,000
First round losers: £15,000
Nine-dart finish: £60,000
‘I said: “Are you not taking the practice board with you?” He’s going down to London and staying in some rented house. He went: “No.”
‘Literally, he sat in the room in Finland, he never threw a dart all night, went on stage cold, hit ten 180s and had a 110 average.
‘This is crazy. I’d never do that. But that’s his ability. He really is that natural. He’s brilliant.’
Littler’s is renowned for his relaxed demeanour in practice rooms, as likely to be playing FIFA on his phone as throwing darts, but Taylor is convinced that plenty of hard work is going on behind the scenes…it must be!
‘It can catch up on you, if you don’t put the practice in, like any sport,’ said the 65-year-old. ‘In football if you weren’t training, it can catch up on you, no matter how good you are you still have to put the work in.
‘I think backdoors, he’s putting the work in. I know everybody says he just walks in and sits there for an hour or two, which he has, but I think beforehand he has had a good practice.’
Taylor had some advice for Littler’s chief threat at Ally Pally, Luke Humphries, who he feels needs to add a nastiness to his game.
‘Luke Humphries, for me, is too nice,’ said the Power. ‘He’s a lovely lad, he really is, very kind-hearted, talks lovely and he is very nice.
‘Whether he’s got it in the back of his mind, he does need that bit of a nasty streak in him to be that complete winner, to win multiple world titles. You’ve got to be that little bit aggressive. Wanting it, fighting for it.’