Luke Littler opened up about his struggles during this year’s Premier League Darts season, a moment that drew praise from Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle after Littler’s dramatic 11-10 final victory over Luke Humphries.
Littler’s emotional honesty after title win
The 19-year-old secured his second Premier League title in three years, then became visibly emotional during his post-match interview. He described a low point earlier in the season when he considered walking away from the sport after underperforming in Brighton and facing crowd backlash in Manchester.
Littler was eliminated in the quarter-finals on both nights. “I was sat at home saying to [girlfriend] Faith, ‘I don’t want to do it any more, just the crowd every week,'” he said. “I said to her, ‘I’m down bad.'”
Mardle called Littler’s admission a “step forward,” noting that the pressures of the Premier League extend beyond the oche. “This is an endurance test,” Mardle said. “No one is that strong they don’t have doubts. He had doubts but came back. Owning up to that is a step forward for him.”
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Mardle also highlighted the role of Littler’s support system—his parents and girlfriend, who travel to every event. “You are never on your own,” he said. “I’ve seen people want to walk away. But Luke has one of the best support systems there is in darts.”
Mardle: “He has no weaknesses”
Littler began the year by retaining his World Championship title and went on win the Saudi Arabia Masters, Winmau World Masters, UK Open and Poland Darts Masters before getting his hands on the Premier League trophy for a second time.
Mardle added of the world No 1: “He has the belief, he knows he has the ability and somehow he finds it within to keep doing it.
“There is a point in every player’s career where they question themselves, but he has shown incredible resilience. Even though he has been so successful, it still means the world.”