Luke Littler says he could quit darts in a decade and make a comeback in his 20s

Irish Daily Mirror

13 hours ago

Luke Littler, the 18 year old darts sensation, has hinted he might retire from the sport before he turns 30, only to make a comeback later. The young star, known as 'The Nuke', recently added another major trophy to his growing collection by triumphantly securing his first World Matchplay title.
In an exciting final, he defeated James Wade 18-13, becoming the youngest player ever to achieve darts' Triple Crown, which also includes the World Championship and the Premier League. Since making a splash as a 16 year old at the 2023/24 World Championship, Littler has also clinched the Grand Slam of Darts and the UK Open.
Given his youth, there's chatter that he could challenge Phil Taylor's records, who bagged 16 world titles and an equal number of World Matchplay crowns. To approach Taylor's achievements, Littler would realistically need to continue playing for at least two more decades.
However, the Nuke admits he may be ready for a break from the game in a decade's time. He exclusively told Mirror Sport: "People are thinking, 'How long am I going to do it for?' But for myself, 10 years' time may come."
With the success he's enjoyed over the past 18 months, Littler has already made himself a millionaire, while he has already been tipped to earn in excess of £10m in his career if he keeps his head down.
Littler continued: "Hopefully, I've won everything that I've wanted [before I stop] and be financially secure.
"Then [after stopping] I might get bored in a year or two and come back. I'd probably say 10-15 years and see where my head's at."
Littler admits he doesn't have time to reflect on his incredible feats of the last year and a half due to his intense schedule, which is set to take him Down Under for the Australian Masters World Series event next week.
He said: "There's not enough time to sit back and look at what I've done. When I've got a week off, I don't want to be sat down analysing what I've done in the past.
"I know what I've done, I can see the trophies in my living room. It's about living in the moment."
On his increasingly large trophy collection, Littler added: "Yeah, there's not a lot of room [for trophies]. I think there might have to be some trophy cabinets ordered!"
Littler has teamed up with KP for the 'Nuts for Darts' campaign, which will see one lucky pub win an appearance from the world champion, who will spend an evening at the victorious boozer and throw some arrows with customers.
He said: "We need people to go to their landlords and get them to enter to get an appearance from me in their own pub. It's a brilliant idea by KP."