"For a long time I was the hunter - now I’m the one everyone’s trying to beat": Luke Littler settles into life as world number one

In Butlins Minehead it already felt like a familiar sight: Luke Littler brushing aside his opening opponent at a major with what looked like effortless authority. The 18-year-old phenomenon – reigning world champion and the brand-new world number one – carries himself with a calmness and maturity that defy his age. Yet the media storm around him is louder than ever.

After his routine 6–1 win over Dutch-Swede Jeffrey de Graaf, Littler spoke at length to the press, opening up about pressure, success, and the constant chase for titles.

One of the first topics raised was the shift in perception around him – no longer the rising challenger, but the man everyone is desperate to topple. “For a long time I was the hunter,” Littler said. “But now I’m the one everyone’s trying to beat. Even after that first World Championships run, everyone was on my back. Everyone wanted to beat me, and that’s still the same.”

He referenced Luke Humphries – the rival he keeps running into in major finals. “Exactly how Humphries says: if no one’s going to stop us, then we’re just going to keep meeting in finals. As long as I’m playing good darts, that’s all that matters.”

Assessing his 6–1 win, Littler didn’t pretend it was perfect. “I didn’t start off too well,” he admitted. “But I knew I was going to kick in at some point.”

And that extra gear he always seems to find? That’s the question everyone asks. Does he fear one day it won’t be there?

“I got this question asked the other day. Am I scared of if a bad patch comes? But no. If I keep playing my darts and keep practising, then I don’t think I’ll ever get one. Obviously some players have been going through a bad patch, but at the minute I just keep going and I keep finding these gears.”

One special moment in Butlins was the very first time Littler was introduced on stage as the world number one. “It felt good,” he said. “He said ‘world champion’ first and I was like, you’d better say number one as well — and he did. I let him off. But no, that was a good feeling.”

What follows is a run of form that, frankly, borders on ridiculous. “It’s obviously been non-stop since I first came onto the tour, and it’s not stopping anytime soon with the schedule. We’re always going to be playing week in, week out. And yeah, I’m loving it at the minute.”

One reporter asked if he ever wished he could just be Luke Littler again – not Luke the Nuke, not the kid on every billboard – just a normal teenager with five minutes to himself.

“I say it a few times — I want to go back to my normal self,” he said. “But I’ve been used to the fame and all that stuff for so long now. I think it’d be weird if I isolated myself for like a week or something. It’s all a learning curve and I’m getting used to it.”

During his breakthrough World Championship run he famously hid away in a caravan just to escape the madness. That feels a long time ago now.

“It’s definitely changed since that first worlds, but performance-wise, I’m not stopping anytime soon.”

Someone asked whether he might’ve benefitted from a gentler ascent – a couple of years gaining experience on the tour, climbing the rankings slowly, and easing into the spotlight. Littler dismissed the idea. “I didn’t plan on doing all these amazing things. It all came as one. It’s thanks to myself, my sponsors, my family. And yeah, long may it continue.”

The discussion then turned to the relentless Pro Tour. Luke Humphries has openly considered skipping all Players Championships next year — 30-plus days off the calendar in one swoop. Is Littler tempted?

“This Players Championship Finals is one that I’ve not got yet and I definitely want to get it. But if I was to win it this weekend, then who knows what happens next year on the Pro Tour? Do I go to a few or do I not? I’ve been having discussions behind the scenes — do I just do the ones in Wigan and don’t go to the rest? If I qualify, I qualify. If I don’t, I don’t. We’ll have to make that decision behind the scenes and let everyone know.”

A strange but consistent trend in darts is how opponents suddenly play out of their skins against him. Littler’s seen enough of it already to laugh. “Half the time on the Pro Tour, a player averages 105 against me and the last game was like an 80. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I think you needed that.’ It happens all the time. I’ve had it a few times where people throw a ton average against me and the next game they lose with an 80 or something. But as long as I’m playing my darts, then I’ll win.”

The conversation ended where it began: the fact that everyone is now chasing Luke Littler. The difference is that he doesn’t seem remotely fazed. “Everyone’s behind me, but that was already the case after that first worlds. It doesn’t change anything. I keep throwing, I keep winning, and if no one stops us, then we’ll keep meeting in finals.”

With that, Littler left the interview stage exactly as he left the match stage: confident, composed and carrying the aura of a player who, terrifyingly for everyone else, is still only getting started.