Luke Humphries reckons Littler 'isn't normal' and that's why he won't be feeling Premier League defence pressure
The world No.1 ready for huge night at London's O2 tomorrow
Calm Luke Humphries reckons "not normal" Luke Littler won't be affected by the pressure of defending his BetMGM Premier League crown as he looks to rip it off his head.
Cool Hand can complete a Triple Crown by adding this title to his World Championship and World Matchplay titles.
Humphries may need to beat Littler in the Final if he overcomes Nathan Aspinall in the last four and doesn't feel his rival will be feeling any strain about coming back looking to keep his trophy.
Asked if Littler may feel a different type of pressure defending a major TV title for the first time, Humphries smiled: 'I think if you're a normal person it is, but for Luke, he's not is he! So I don't think the pressure's going to worry him, to be honest. He's not going to be thinking about, I've got to defend this, the pressure's on me. I think he's played in so many big matches now that I don't think anything's going to bother him.
'It is hard. You don't want to give the trophy away, like the World Championships, I didn't want to give that away. But you learn from those situations and you're just in another day, another game.'
Humphries isn't looking beyond his semi-final as he added: 'I'd never overlook any game that I play. Against Nathan, he's a well and truly established pro, so I'm not going to be looking to the final. Luke's got to beat Gezzy at first, and I've got to beat Nathan. It's going to be a tough game for me. Nathan's playing a lot better now, and I definitely wouldn't look past him.'
Humphries can join an elite Triple Crown club if he wins the trophy as he said: 'Everybody wants to win those three, whether people believe it's the Triple Crown or not, it doesn't really bother me. But I think, in my mind, they're the three biggest tournaments to win because, obviously, the Worlds is the most prestigious.
"And then the Matchplay has been at the Winter Gardens for so long, that's just so prestigious. And then the Premier League, I think, is the hardest to win because you've got to be good for not two or three weeks, you've got to be good for 16 weeks and then good on that one night. So I do think the Premier League is the hardest one to win.
'I think only Phil [Taylor], Michael [van Gerwen] and Gary[Anderson] have done that. So, it shows you how hard it is to do. I've took all the pressure off my shoulders now. I think, if I never won another trophy, I'd be pleased with my career. It's been good. I've been a world champion, I've been a Matchplay champion. They're the two biggest ones I've always wanted to win.
'Now, I'd love to win the Premier League, but if I ended my career without one, I don't think I'd look back and be disappointed. Everything's a free roll for me. If I can go and win it, then I'd be super happy. But I'm starting to get to that point now in my career where I'm not putting that pressure on my shoulders anymore. I'm just here to enjoy myself and try and win as many major tournaments as I can. I just love being involved.
'That's what I like. Being here and being a part of a special occasion like this is just what I live for. So, I'm just happy that I'm here. I'm really, really lucky to have been a world champion and a World No.1, so I just thought, just relax a bit and let the darts do the talking. And if they do, then you can enjoy it. But I'm much more enjoying darts at the moment.
'I've been in, I think, 12 or 13 or so major finals now. So you're kind of used to that feeling. I'm really relaxed about it all. I want to win everything. I don't ever want to turn up to a night on the Premier League, just win a game and I'll be happy. You have to go into every week wanting to win. The drive has to be there.'
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