‘It’s like winning the lottery for me’ - Phil Taylor speaks ahead of 21st World Final

Phil Taylor is on the verge of doing something special at the World Championship. The Power will play in his 21st and last ever World final and could come away with the winners cheque and the Sid Waddell trophy for the 17th time. Taylor admitted himself ahead of the final that it is surreal that he is in the final and he never expected to get there. "It's surreal to be honest with you, it's like I'm not even here," said Phil Taylor. "It's like winning the lottery for me. "I never expected to beat Gary Anderson [in the quarter-finals], and the way Jamie [Lewis, in the semi-finals] was playing I thought I was going to be 4-0 down. "It's a bit like John Part when he beat Kirk Shepherd in the final [in 2008], I'm just picking up the pieces to be honest with you." Also he spoke about the one day rest between the semi-final and final and how good it will be to recharge his batteries ahead of the game against Cross. "It will be massive," he added. "And the best thing for me, I've got a day off so I can rest up. I'm shattered, two games on the trot under pressure is hard work so I'm thankful for a day off. Thank you for New Year's Eve! "I'm not going to practice, I'm just going to relax and get ready for the next day. Energy is all I need now. It's hard, it really is. "I'm still playing okay, but not good enough really - I can play better."

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC