Luke Littler sends mind games warning as World Darts Championship defence begins
LUKE THE NUKE: Luke Littler says other players cannot get inside his head (John Walton/PA)
Luke Littler says his World Darts Championship title defence will not be derailed by opponents trying to get inside his head.
The 18-year-old is heading back to defend his crown at Alexandra Palace, where he became the youngest ever winner in January.
Since then he has gone on to dominate the sport, usurping Luke Humphries as world number one in a stunning year which has seen him win the UK Open, World Matchplay, Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship.
Some players have tried resorting to ‘dark arts’ in a bid to stop his dominance.
Poland’s Ricardo Pietreczko recently told Littler he did not expect to get more than one leg in their match at the Players Championship when the match was tied at 5-5.
Littler, who begins his campaign against Darius Labanauskas on Thursday night, revealed that spurred him on to victory and warned everyone else not to bother with mind games.
Asked if anyone can get under his skin, he said: “No, no one. I think obviously winning titles comes with the experience, but I think from a young age I’ve just got my head down and I want to win these games.
“No one can get in my head because if you say something to me, I’ll block it out and I’ll just get on with my job.
“And as a professional, going back to what Ricardo said, when you’re saying, ‘You’re only expecting to get one leg’, you’re not expecting to get one leg, you’re expecting to win the game, you’re expecting to go on to the quarter-finals.
“Once he said that to me, I just said to myself, ‘You’ve got to win this game. You can’t be having someone saying that to you and not win the game’. So, I just got my head down and I got the job done.
“But if other players want to do that, then I think the same thing will happen what I did to Ricardo.
“I’ll just go on and win the game, because there’s no point in saying that, because you might get in your own head.
“That’s what players try and do.”
Littler’s dominance is reminiscent of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, who often felt they had their opponent beaten before they made it on to stage.
The teenager is beginning to have the same aura, but does not know whether the opening notes of his walk-on song Greenlight has opponents shaking.
“I don’t know about the head start, but it’s just a game of darts,” Littler said. “Do people crumble when they hear Greenlight? That’s what they have in their head. They can decide that.
“I’ve still got darts to play, and there’s a World Championship here.”
Former world champion Michael Smith is hoping to rediscover his form as he takes on Lisa Ashton, who is one of five female players in this year’s tournament.
Kim Huybrechts’ match with Arno Merk and Madars Razma’s clash with Jamai van den Herik completes the opening night schedule.
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