Luke Littler 'feels no pressure' ahead of World Darts Championship beginning
Luke has been preparing for the World Darts Championships at Alexandra Palace at his local pub in Warrington.
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler says he feels "no pressure" and will be taking it "one game at a time" ahead of the World Darts Championship in London.
Luke 'The Nuke' became the most famous 16-year-old on the planet in December 2023 when he competed in the tournament, but he fell short of winning the title after failing to beat world number one, Luke Humphries.
Since then he has wasted no time in turning professional and has enjoyed a extraordinary year to date, with a string of tournament victories and pocketing £700,000 in prize money.
The now 17-year-old has picked up 10 titles: The Premier League, Grand Slam of Darts, World Series of Darts, Bahrain Darts Masters, Poland Darts Masters, Austrian Darts Open, Belgian Darts Open, and three Players Championships.
The Warrington-born athlete is set to return to Alexandra Palace, the venue where his career was born, and is the bookies' favourite to win the worlds.
Despite currently ranking fourth in the PDC Order of Merit, which is based on prize money won over two years, the darts sensation says he "feels so pressure".
Speaking ahead of the World Darts Championship, in his local pub in Warrington, Luke said: "It's weird to be going back [to Alexandra Palace]. It's where it all started.
"I was unknown but what I've done this year to get up to number four in the world. I don't have any pressure right now, maybe on the day of playing. I'm just excited to get back on stage."
He continued: "When you get on stage you have to find your rhythm. To win it, I am thinking about it, not just for myself but the fans will be thinking about it. You just have to take it one game at a time."
Littler has 1.3 million followers on Instagram, more than double than established player Michael van Gerwen, and appearances with influencers and social-media stars ‘Sidemen’ and ‘Angry Ginge’ has boosted his popularity.
Over the festive period, as well as competing in the championships, he will also appear in an episode of the rebooted Bullseye alongside Andrew Flintoff.
The darts champion has made the shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year while also being named as the most searched sportsperson on Google for 2024.
He begins his campaign against Ryan Meikle or Fallon Sherrock on Saturday, 21 December, with the hope of competing in the final on 3 January 2025.
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