“He doesn’t want to make a fool of himself” – Phil Taylor’s comeback stirs excitement and doubts from former pro
PDCTuesday, 29 September 2026 at 17:30
The announced return of Phil Taylor has caused quite a stir in the darts world. The 16-time world champion will pick up his darts again at 66 and step to the oche in November at the MODUS Super Series. There, ‘The Power’ will pair up with his former World Cup partner Adrian Lewis. Andy Hamilton welcomes the comeback of his fellow Stoke-on-Trent native but adds a key caveat: how much remains of the darting quality that allowed Taylor to dominate the sport for years?
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Hamilton reacted on talkSPORT Darts to the news of Taylor coming out of retirement. The former world finalist believes the return will draw major attention regardless. "I think it's great news for darts. The darts at the moment is as high as it'll ever be. So good publicity is good for Phil Taylor coming out of retirement."
Hamilton is particularly intrigued by Taylor teaming up with Lewis again. The Stoke-on-Trent duo were a feared combination for years and won the World Cup of Darts four times together. "I think it's just great for the game. Him and Adrian coming back together, playing World Cup again together, international pairs. So it's going to be interesting to see how Phil Taylor plays."
At the same time, Hamilton is unsure what has driven Taylor to throw seriously again. The Englishman retired from the PDC after the 2018 Worlds and later played on the senior circuit. There, Taylor no longer carried the same air of dominance as in his glory days.
"I don't know the reason why he's come out of his time to do this. Obviously, it's not about money. Also, it's just about probably the publicity to what he can give to the game as well, which is great, I think."
"He doesn't want to embarrass himself"
Hamilton insists on one thing: Taylor will not return just to throw a few show legs. The competitive fire of the 16-time world champion is simply too strong for that.
"But also, he doesn't want to embarrass himself on that, okay. He wants to perform. He wants to compete.
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"And that's just in his nature. So just time will tell. I don't know how he's been playing, what he's been doing darts-wise."
Hamilton suspects the sport’s current popularity may have influenced Taylor’s decision. A new generation has emerged, led by Luke Littler, and interest in darts is huge. For former elite players, Hamilton says, it is hard to watch from the sidelines without feeling the itch again.
"Yeah, definitely. I think any dart player who has it in their life, they just don't want to give in playing darts. Just like myself, I'm turning 60 next year and I still love this game."
Hamilton sees a clear parallel with Taylor. "My hunger's still there. And I believe still as well. But for me, I've not stopped playing.
"So I've just carried on playing through it. And when I retire, that's when I will retire. But when that is, I don't know."
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In that sense, Lewis is an interesting partner for Taylor, according to Hamilton. The two-time world champion still appears regularly at exhibition events and has never ruled out a proper tilt at the top level. "So it's going to be interesting to see Adrian still being competitive on the exhibition circuit. So it might be Adrian's turn to pull Phil Taylor out the bag."
Hamilton also hopes Lewis eventually returns in earnest. "Yeah, there's always rumours flying around there, but you don't know the rumours until it really happens. I think now that it's happened, it's all true. Obviously, sometimes people say things, they're coming out and they're not.
"And obviously, we've heard from Adrian, he wants to get back into the serious now and again, but he's not there yet. So I'm not sure how much you really want to get back in there. Involvement in the competitive side, obviously, while it's fun, it's great."
No Q-School for Taylor?
Hamilton does not expect Taylor to chase a PDC Tour Card via Q-School after his MODUS Super Series appearance. He believes the physical and mental demands should not be underestimated.
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"But for Phil, I don't think they're going to see him at Q School. I just think it's not just about the game itself. It's the added pressure, the week-long of playing darts. And I think it'll take its toll on me."
Hamilton also argues the Q-School standard would test Taylor seriously. "We're getting older. And I just think the competitive side on the Q School, they're all not great players, but also there are some great players who are still really competitive, which will compete with Phil Taylor. I think for the game, they'd love to see him at Q School. It'd be great for the sport and great for people who are darts fans, who want to play Phil Taylor."
Even Hamilton does not know how seriously Taylor is currently training. The two have known each other for years from Stoke-on-Trent, but they have not mapped out any intensive practice schedule.
"No, I talk a lot with Adrian, talk a lot with Adrian, yeah. I think I tried to practise with Phil Taylor. I said to Phil, do you want to practise some time? He just said, no, I'm just practising with my grandson. So I don't know how serious it is for him. So I think time will tell how good he is at the game and his ability to see if it's still shining.
A practice session featuring Hamilton, Taylor, and Lewis would deliver a strong dose of nostalgia. "I think, yeah, it'd be great. It'll just bring back memories as well for all of mine. Like I say, I'm still quite competitive myself and I'm playing OK.
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"So it'd be good to get back the old boys and just have a reminisce of old times as well. So you can just have a bit of fun with it as well."
Taylor won no fewer than 78 major titles in his imposing career.
Taylor versus Littler?
Taylor’s comeback inevitably raises another question: will darts fans ever see a showdown between “The Power” and Luke Littler? The 16-time world champion and the current world number one have never met at the highest level.
A first opportunity may arrive quickly. Hamilton pointed out that Taylor and Littler will soon be at the same event. "Well, as daft as it sounds, obviously now Phil Taylor is coming back into darts. On the 28th of October, there's a big Stoke event. There's me, Adrian Lewis, Luke Littler, Nathan Aspinall and Phil, the Power Taylor."
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Hamilton does stress that we first need clarity on Taylor’s current level. "So who knows? Will you have a game of darts on that night? Hey, tell me, it'd be great for the game.
"And I think everyone wants to see that game and all, but I think we've got to see how Phil's thrown it first."
A cross-generational clash would, in Hamilton’s view, have strong appeal. A large part of younger darts fans never truly experienced Taylor’s dominant era.
"Yeah, yeah, I think like this in any sport, when you get the young and the old together, it's probably the only sport you can do it in, really. And I think it's great. It'd be great to see for the young to see the power, because the proper young kids nowadays don't even know how good Phil Taylor was, unless you see him on the internet. So it'd be good to see him out there in person and just see how he's performing against Luke Littler."
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"No, and I think that's what he might feel short of. I mean, he was talking to the seniors and I think then the seniors, everyone wanted to play Phil Taylor. He's played okay, darts, but nothing really competitive where it worries you, where before he was like a robot, where that's changed now. So I think that's the worrying side too, if he comes out not playing as well as he can."s
Still, Hamilton retains some concern. Taylor was almost unbeatable for years, but during his appearances on the seniors circuit it was clear that his old level didn’t just reappear.
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- I believe he has it in him to qualify for the Worlds as he consistently wins matches, even if it is only one or two at a time, although his recent PC quarter-final run was somewhat encouraging in that regard. I think there is a lot of pressure for him to retire, people in the media accusing him of tarnishing his legacy. I think that is a ridiculous line of thinking. How ungrateful it is to attach terms and conditions to the amazing moments he has provided us over the course of his career. What position are we in to dictate to him how he should manage his career when it is he who achieved those successes in the first place? What's more, this is his life and the passion that sustains it, it is not for us to decide when his career is over when it is he who must bear the genuine ramifications of that decision. Since I'm sure money is not a concern, the only question on which the decision should rest is whether he truly continues to enjoy competing. He has retired once before, but the desire to compete is what brought him back. We see a lot of negative body language and he does genuinely look miserable when he is not playing well, but only he will know when he wakes up the next day whether he wants to go and do it all over again. If he wants to compete, he should, it's as simple as that, this is a decision that should not involve anyone else but him and his family. He should not retire to indulge the whims of the media or the public. What satisfaction would he receive by being forced into retirement? What closure would it bring to such a brilliant career? When Phil Taylor decided to retire, his decision was final and resolute. I believe RvB needs to get to this point himself, no matter how many 70 averages it might take. We see the likes of John Part continue to compete on a regular basis well past his prime, I say more power to him, and who knows, further glory could be around the corner, it's darts after all, you just never know. Sometimes I worry that RvB is acutely aware of the clamour for him to retire and that this pressure may even have an impact on his performances as he begins to question whether there is even a place for him in darts anymore, further compounding his poor form and creating a vicious loop. Perhaps to take his future into his own hands would provide him with a levity and freedom that would lend itself to better performances, not to mention an improved wellbeing. In any case, it is under these conditions that one can clear-headedly and definitively settle an issue so profound as retirement, not when you feel you're being rushed out the door. If his performances can no longer sustain his presence on the tour, so be it; as it stands his card seems safe for this year but is in serious jeopardy next year. He could always allow himself to drop off the tour naturally rather than forfeiting his place in the top 64, this could provide a sense of finality while offering a route back through Q-School if he so desired; after all, he's done it before. In conclusion, I just hope that RvB can play - or not play - for his own sake, rather than anyone else's, so that when the time comes he can be in no doubt as to his decision, leaving no lingering questions, so that he can reflect with no regret or uncertainty on the marvelous career he has had.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Luke Littler has been good for the sport of darts, no question. But he is not above it. For his sake and ours, he needs to be put in his place sometimes, rather than having his every whim catered to. That is not how you build a good person nor a good sporting organisation, and it's beginning to have consequences.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Extremely disappointing decision. It used to be that, along with major events and Euro Tours, the Players Championship series constituted one of three standards against which successful darts players could be measured, one of three challenges every successful darts player should be expected to master to consider themself among the elite. Now they are dead weight in the darting calendar, and player turnout and the standard of competitiveness will reflect that. The truth is that Luke Littler and other big names would rather play lucrative exhibitions than put in the hard graft that being a successful dart player requires. It undermines the authority of the PDC and the game in general. So what do they do about it? Give them exactly what they want. Of course, why wouldn't they? They are their star attractions. It is ironic that an organisation formed in protest by the sport's elite should be undermined and disrespected by their contemporary equivalents, but the PDC had a chance to stand up to them with a firm message: play 2 events all year and expect the final to be played without you. Instead, they caved in. These events will be hardly worth playing anymore and this decision may have grave consequences for the future of floor events at the elite level. Some may say the calendar is overstuffed, yet these elite players have more than enough time to play plenty of exhibitions. The Premier League in particular is gruelling, but busy players are not expected to play every event, they are expected to manage their playing schedule carefully in order to apportion their time and energy appropriately. Clayton and Humphries, for instance, both sit in the top 20 of the Players Championship and European orders of merit, in addition to competing in the Premier League; they have proven it is absolutely possible and this change is an insult to their efforts in effectively managing their calendars. I think we are seeing players who simply think they are too good for Pro Tour events, arrogance which should be punished rather than rewarded as we are seeing here. Furthermore, why should success in Euro Tours qualify you for the Players Championship Final? The PDC are blurring the lines between those three disciplines of darting excellence, and in so doing destabilising the very foundations upon which the organisation and its success is built. Some may say I'm overreacting, but this, in addition to the PDC's subservience and snivelling obsequiousness toward their biggest assets, makes me fear for the future of professional darts.Deduce635826-09-2026
- I guess this will mean the top players will turn up even less? Taken all the excitement of qualifying away I think. Wish they made it top 32 to qualify and the finals to last all week.Baphomet26-09-2026
- Great article - but not written by this site. It's taken wholesale from last Sunday's Observer with this interview published online on Saturday.Scoobedybop22-09-2026
- Such sad and pathetic little losers giving abuse to young woman for any reason, let alone who she is in a relationship with. Go Beau! An absolute star and comes across as a genuinely nice and kind person. Wish her nothing but the best.BandB22-09-2026
- I wouldn't mind if he quit now to be honest. He's not bigger than darts. Let's face it without darts he'd just be a normal fat gamer kid.medinabello22-09-2026
- You know,I said this,in a sentence,not 5 paragraphs!!rick6721-09-2026
- Oh dear,he lost. Well any competitive sport runs the risk of defeat. He is, currently,his own worst enemy. Wind the crowd up,and you get it back bigger. Put your dummy in kidrick6721-09-2026
- Does an exhibition count in the clean sweep though?BandB21-09-2026
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