"If I can get my form back and Luke and I did play each other, it would be massive" - Taylor-Littler showdown touted by 'The Power' ahead of comeback

Phil Taylor is preparing for a remarkable return to the oche. The 16-time world champion will team up with his former protégé Adrian Lewis in a pairs event at the MODUS Super Series. Although the 66-year-old Englishman stresses that he has no plans to return to full-time darts, preparing for the event has rekindled something in him. Taylor is enjoying practice again and is even talking openly about a possible clash with Luke Littler.

In an extensive interview with Online Darts, “The Power” discusses his comeback, his ambitions and his admiration for the current generation of players. He also talks about his rivalry with Raymond van Barneveld and Fallon Sherrock’s remarkable victory over Littler on the Netflix show Beat Luke Littler.

The idea for Taylor’s return came from MODUS owner Jason Thame, who contacted his manager, Bob Glenn. He asked whether Taylor would be interested in joining Lewis for a pairs event. "I said, 'Yeah, I’ll try my best. I’ll get practising.' So I’ve been practising. I’m not as good as I used to be, but I’m going to keep practising until the day we play."

At first, Taylor was quite apprehensive about his return. Most of those nerves have now gone. “The nerves are beginning to go now. I’m beginning to look forward to it. I was dreading it a month ago, but now I’m looking forward to it.”

That does not mean Taylor is considering a full return to the professional circuit. “ Just this one tournament, that’s all it is really. It’s only going to be one tournament. I’m not going to be playing on the circuit or anything. I’m too old.”

His fitness remains a concern, too. Taylor has struggled with physical problems in recent years, which made even exhibition matches difficult. These days, he tries to pace his practice sessions carefully. “I do little spurts, so I’ll do 10 minutes, have a sit down, do 10 minutes, have a sit down. After a bit, obviously, you know, I’m 66, so I’ve got my own teeth, though,” the Englishman jokes.

Playing alongside Lewis again means a lot to Taylor. The pair worked closely together for years, before Lewis went on to become a two-time world champion. Now the former mentor and his protégé will share the stage once more. “I love him to bits anyway, so it’s going to be a pleasure. It’ll be nice to see him back on stage and competing.”

Taylor is mainly looking to enjoy himself, but stresses that he will take the event seriously. “All I’m expecting is that we’re going to have a good laugh together and enjoy ourselves. That’s all I’m going to do, and I’m going to try my best for him. If I let him down, I’ll be gutted."

The 16-time world champion has also seen Lewis record some particularly high averages in exhibition matches again. Taylor says that inspires him. “I will be trying. If I miss, I miss, but I’ll be 100% trying my best. Honestly, I’d hate to let him down. If we can win it, that would be an extra bonus, you know what I mean? I’d love to go out with a trophy."

At the same time, Taylor warns fans not to get their hopes up too high. “Don’t expect 128 averages because they aren’t going to happen, but we’ll go in there with a big smile on our faces and we’ll come off, win, lose or draw, with a big smile as well.”

Remarkably, preparing for the pairs event has made Taylor enjoy practising again, something he had not expected.

“I’ve just been saying to Bob and Nathan – my grandson’s with us – that I’m actually enjoying practising again. It’s ever so weird. I don’t do loads. I do a little spurt, maybe 15 or 20 minutes, have a break, have a cup of coffee or something, and then I’ll do another 15 or 20 minutes. I do about an hour over three or four hours."

Taylor is mostly using the equipment that brought him success in the past. His equipment sponsor Target has made new darts for him, but for this comeback he would rather rely on the gear he knows.

The question is how far his ambitions might stretch if he manages to recapture some of his old form. Taylor does not rule out playing more often in that case. “"I’m trying, trust me. I’ll try and I’ll try and I’ll try, you know what I mean? I feel like a cartoon character, but I will push at it. I’m not one for sitting on my laurels. I will practise and dedicate myself, and see if I can get my form back again, just to see if I can."

He then makes a striking statement. “If I do, and I could win, then I’d probably play a few little things. I’d enter the UK Open and see if I could win that, because you can enter that as an amateur qualifier. That’s what I’d do.”

Since news of his comeback broke, Taylor has been fielding questions from darts fans. A possible meeting with Luke Littler is the main talking point. “I have it every day. I can’t go around Tesco, Asda or anywhere without people saying, 'Are you coming back? Are you going to beat that Luke Littler?' That’s the biggest question: 'Are you going to beat him? He’s winning too much, Phil. Come on, we need you back.'"

Taylor admits that he would also love to play against the young world champion. "I’ll be honest with you. I know for a fact that if I can get my form back and Luke and I did play each other, it would be massive, especially if I could get my form back like I used to have. But I’ll try."

He would be more than happy to face Littler in a one-on-one contest, perhaps in a special exhibition match. "For all those people as well. I don’t need the money. People keep saying I’m skint. I’m all right, honestly. I’ve got my pension coming now," he laughs.

Taylor says he would have loved to play against Littler and Luke Humphries when he was at the very peak of his powers. “I’ve thrived on people being better than me, you know, to make me a better player. So I would have to work him out. I’d have to study him, practise and learn what his weak points are. They’ve all got weak points.”

The former world champion is renowned for his ability to analyse opponents. He believes he can spot a few openings in Littler’s game, too. “Don’t really spend a lot of time with Luke. I mean, the last few nights I’ve been with him, and he’s very quiet. He keeps himself to himself and spends a lot of time on his phone. To me, that would be a weakness."

Taylor believes the mental side plays a major role in darts. “ It would have driven me crackers: somebody just sitting there, not practising, while I’m practising. I’d be thinking, 'What’s he up to?' But eventually, it wouldn’t have bothered me. I’d have gone stronger. I’d be thinking, 'You sit there, and I’ll practise and get ready for you.' That would have made me feel more confident."

His famous rivalry with Raymond van Barneveld also comes up. Taylor has fond memories of their matches, especially from the period when the Englishman represented the PDC while Van Barneveld was still playing for the BDO.

"I had my organisation telling me, 'Don’t let the BDO beat you,' and Barney would have had the BDO saying, 'Don’t let that PDC beat you.' So he was a proper rival."

Taylor would love to face Van Barneveld again at his best. “He’s the worst loser I’ve ever met, and I’m the worst loser you’ve ever met as well, so we made a good rivalry.”

He also believes that, at his former level, the Dutchman would still pose a serious threat to Littler. “I’d love him to be back to his best, and me back to my best as well, because Barney would give Luke Littler a game.”

Taylor does feel that some rivalries have lost their special appeal because top players now face each other so often. "Me and Barney used to play each other maybe every three months. Towards the latter end of my career, we were playing each other nearly every week, so it takes the shine off it a little bit. The Premier League is one where you play each other week in, week out, so it does take the shine off. It’s like Liverpool playing Manchester United every week. You’d get a bit bored with it."

Finally, Taylor speaks at length about Fallon Sherrock, who recently earned £501,000 by beating Littler on the Netflix show Beat Luke Littler.

Taylor was involved in the selection process, assessing several candidates alongside Barry Hearn and Laura Turner. “When she came in, we were talking to her, and I knew she could play. I know she can play under pressure. I said to her, 'You’re one of the best finishers I’ve ever seen.'"

Taylor believes Sherrock is among the very best in women’s darts when it comes to finishing. "As a lady darts player, you are probably the best finisher I’ve ever seen. Maureen Flowers was good, Beau Greaves is brilliant, Deta Hedman is good, but Fallon is the best finisher I’ve seen in the ladies’ game. She’s good enough for the men’s game as well, hitting nine-darters and everything."

Taylor had given Sherrock some advice beforehand on how she could beat Littler. I said, 'All you’ve got to do is concentrate on doing a 12-darter or a 15-darter, because then it looks like you’ve got to do a 12.' Doing a 12-darter in one leg isn’t that easy, and that’s what she did."

Sherrock’s victory made a big impression on Taylor, who was especially pleased that the Englishwoman had been able to improve her financial security. “I think she’s brilliant. I’m damn proud of her. It’s as if I’m watching my own daughter up there. I couldn’t be any prouder of her. She’s got a little lad to look after, and she can financially secure herself a little bit now."