PHIL TAYLOR has lifted the lid on a chat he had with Luke Littler before his Grand Slam of Darts victory.
The Power, a 14-time PDC world champion, revealed he spoke with Littler at the headquarters of their mutual sponsor, Target Darts.
Luke Littler’s motivation will help to stop him from ruining his career[/caption]
However, Taylor believes one “lovely” thing about Littler will keep him from ruining his career, like he has seen others do.
He told talkSPORT: “I’ve seen players come and go over the years. It’s a matter of being dedicated, you know, and money isn’t his motivation, believe it or not, he isn’t really that bothered.
“I was with him a couple of weeks ago down at Target, and he just plays on his game. He is a typical teenager, you know, and he isn’t motivated by prize money.
“It’s great, don’t get me wrong, and he’s secure. He’s more interested in looking after his mother and father in tournaments.
“It’s lovely to see, because I’ve seen so many players where they start earning money and that ruins their career then.
“But this lad, he just sits there, he’s quiet as a mouse, he’s lovely company to be with, to be honest.”
After winning his first major in the Grand Slam of Darts and adding £153,500, the 17-year-old has now earned more than one million pounds in prize money alone.
An impressive debut year has seen the Nuke burst into the top five of the world rankings – despite the rankings being done over a two-year rolling period.
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Littler has the chance to get even higher at next weekend’s Player Championship finals but needs to win the competition to ensure he can overtake first-round opponent and World No.4 Rob Cross.
The darts season concludes with the world championship at Ally Pally, where Littler lost out to World No.1 Luke Humphries in the final, running from December 15 through to January 3.
Taylor, 64, has backed Littler to take the crown this year however, partly thanks to his pre-match routines “doing the other players’ heads in”.
He said: “I’ll tell you what though, if there’s anybody that could do it, it’s this young lad now.
“He has got the age on his side and the ability – you never know. You never know with him…
“I wouldn’t bet against him.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t bet against him. Definitely have him as an each-way bet.”
The draw for the 2024/25 World Championship takes place on Monday afternoon in central London, the day after the conclusion to the Players Championship Finals at Butlin’s Minehead.
Humphries – who beat Littler 7-4 in the 2024 final – is the defending champion and will remain as world No.1 whatever happens over the Christmas period.
Luke Littler prize money breakdown
Here is all the prize money Luke Littler has won so far after his Grand Slam of Darts victory:
World Championship 2023 – £200,000
Grand Slam of Darts 2024 – £150,000
European Tour – £91,000
Player Championships events – £71,500
UK Open 2023 + 2024 – £17,500
World Matchplay – £10,000
World Grand Prix – £7,500
European Championship – £7,500
(Unranked) Premier League Darts – £315,000
