"Dart players are all liars": Luke Humphries rubbishes notion of being oblivious to Grand Slam permutations

World number one Luke Humphries sealed a flawless passage through to the knockout stages of the 2025 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts, topping his group with three wins from three and producing another composed display just days after hitting a nine-darter.

Humphries cruised past Nathan Aspinall in his final Grand Slam group game to maintain his 100% record, and afterwards he spoke candidly about his mindset, the group dynamics, and his admiration for fellow competitors.

“I knew I had to start off really well,” Humphries said. “The first two legs were amazing — I think they were 10 and 12 darts. I knew I needed one leg to get through. Dart players are liars — they all know what they need to do! You know the draw, you know what’s required. Once I got that second leg, I knew one more would seal it.”

Despite only needing a single leg to qualify, Humphries insisted that complacency was never an option.

“It didn’t affect me. I wasn’t sitting there thinking, ‘Please win this leg.’ I just felt comfortable that I could find three legs to win the group,” he explained. “Nathan wasn’t playing for much, but he didn’t give in or throw his darts away — he made me work for it.”

The defending world champion also spoke about his friendship with both Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith, who were also part of the same group.

“It’s unfortunate because I love Nathan to bits, and I love Michael to bits too,” Humphries said. “There’s no one I’d rather see win, but I’m here for myself. The most important thing is that I get through and win the group.”

He was also full of praise for Smith, who returned to form in style during the group stage.

“It’s a bit of a catch-22,” he said. “I’m gutted for Nathan, but I’m really proud and happy for Michael. We’ve got a great bond, especially after being World Cup champions together. If you watched that interview he did, it pulled on your heartstrings. It’s great to see him back at the business end of big tournaments again.”

Humphries described the unique mental challenge of the Grand Slam’s round-robin format.

“As much as it’s one of my favourite tournaments, it can mess with your head,” he admitted. “You start thinking, ‘I only need one or two legs,’ and that’s negative. I came into this game wanting to win it. Now it’s the business end — the longer format suits me. If I can get through the next one, that first-to-16 stage is what I love.”

He also reflected on the difficulty of maintaining focus when qualification is already secure.

“You’re not coming here to lose a game and get through on legs difference — you want to win every match,” he said. “When I won this two years ago, I didn’t lose a single group game. It’s always special when you win a title unbeaten.”

Even as the tournament favourite, Humphries said the pressure now comes with experience. “When you’re world number one, you should be the favourite,” he said. “But I’ve gained a lot of experience from playing big tournaments week in, week out. When the draw came out, I knew I’d have to beat at least two of Michael, Nathan and Alex Spellman to go through — you rarely qualify with just one win. Luckily, I won all three.”

Asked how he manages expectation, he replied: “You just get used to these scenarios. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but I showed what I’m capable of in spells — especially against Nathan and in those last few legs against Michael.”

Humphries, who has won multiple major titles since his 2023 breakout, explained what separates top players mentally. "The elite players don’t go into a game hoping to just win one leg,” he said. “If you do that, you’ll probably lose 5–0. That’s why I started so strong tonight — because I wanted to win the match, not scrape through.”

He compared his own mentality to that of Gerwyn Price, who had earlier spoken about nerves in early rounds. “Yeah, it can be edgy early on,” Humphries agreed. “In a short format, anyone can beat anyone. But in best-of-19 or best-of-31 matches, the better player usually wins. If you lose a best-of-31, you can’t say you were unlucky — you’ve had enough chances.”

That longer format, he said, brings out the best in his game. “I do sometimes dip for five minutes, but I come back strong. That’s why players like me and Gezzy — if you don’t get us early, we get stronger and better as the game goes on.”

Reflecting on his form, Humphries rated his group stage performance a “seven out of ten”. “I’ve been good in patches and not so good in others — same with the doubles,” he admitted. “But these longer formats are where I come alive. I feel much more relaxed and play better. I’m looking forward to that when we come back Wednesday.”

Next up for the world number one is a last-16 tie against Jürgen van der Velde, who impressed in his debut Grand Slam campaign. “Honestly, I didn’t expect anyone specific from that group,” Humphries said. “Jürgen told me he doesn’t care that he’s playing the world number one — he’s just over the moon. That makes him dangerous. I’ve got to make sure I come back fully focused and at my best to avoid any unnecessary drama.”

As for his ultimate target this week, Humphries was clear: “When I won this two years ago, I didn’t lose a game. I’d love to do the same again. If I win the title unbeaten, that would make it feel even more special.”