"Do they retire? Do they go back to the drawing board?" - Barry Hearn sends warning to seasoned pros amidst changing of the guard in the PDC's elite

There's no question that 2024 has seen one of the most surprising lists of tournament winners in PDC history. From the emergence of Luke Littler, to Mike de Decker's World Grand Prix success and Ritchie Edhouse's European Championship victory, the tides seem to be changing in the PDC's elite and in the opinion of Barry Hearn, it could be time for some of the more seasoned pros to make a tough decision on their future.

"If I was what I call an existing top player, I would be going back to the dartboard and starting again, because they are going to be put under the cosh by these kids," Hearn begins his explanation. "They've got used to their lifestyle, they've got used to their big cheques coming in and suddenly they're playing someone who hasn't got any fear. These kids, it's their career. They actually know it's going to take them some time so they're not necessarily in a rush. But they haven't got the pressure on them of someone else who's maybe got [a] wife, children, mortgages, all the usual pressures that exist. These kids haven't got that."

In the current Premier League Darts champion, Hearn believes darts has the perfect example of that new, fearless and scar-free attitude. "They're just going at it like Luke Littler," he says. "So what are you going to do with your winnings? I don't know. I'm going to go home and play my Xbox. That's frighteningly dangerous."

So for the likes of Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith and other established names who have slipped down the PDC Order of Merit in recent times, it is time to sink or swim. "There is a tsunami of talent coming and these guys have got a very simple choice. Do they retire? Do they go back to the drawing board? Perhaps they've got a little bit complacent in their attitude," Hearn ponders. "A top darts player can earn £2m, £3m - maybe more, in Luke Littler's case - a year. It's not boxers' money but then boxers fight once every four months. These guys are going at it every week."

"That safety net has gone completely in darts. So the unknown is - and I've been around it for 20-odd years now - it's tough to pick a winner. Years ago, you could go through the top 16 or the first-round matches and pick 90 per cent of the winners. Today, if I got 50 per cent, I'd be surprised. That's a very healthy side of the sport," Hearn concludes. "It's frustrating for those that think they've earned the protection of a ranking. But on a two-year ranking, it's fair to everybody. If you don't produce in two years, you deserve to drop down. And it works the other way for these top kids. They've got two years. The PDC's responsibility is not to help people win but to give them the opportunity to change their lives."