"He’s got more attention than I’ve ever seen Michael van Gerwen or Phil Taylor get” - James Wade believes top darters are 'very jealous' of Luke Littler's fame

James Wade believes some top dart players are becoming "very jealous" of teen sensation Luke Littler's popularity. 'The Nuke' has caused the sport of darts to get more attention than ever before.

The 17-year-old Englishman has already achieved remarkable feats in a short time, with highlights including a final place at the World Darts Championship and the win in the Premier League Darts. In addition, Littler also won the Bahrain Darts Masters, a Pro Tour tournament and two Euro Tours. Michael Smith recently suggested that it was the lower-ranked players who were annoyed by the opportunities offered to Littler, but Wade, on the contrary, believes that it is precisely the higher-ranked players who are jealous of Littler.

"I would say it’s the higher-ranked players. They’re having their noses put out of joint because it’s not about them," Wade told news agency PA. "It doesn’t matter what any of those other players do at the moment, it’s not about them. I know what most of them are like, for me it’s never been about being known. It’s never been about being recognised."

Wade thinks fellow players do have that drive for recognition however. ''For some of them it is about that. They’ll be affected. It’s affecting those higher-ranked players that are out there around the top," Wade suggests. “Because they’re not getting the press they would normally get. And they’re not getting the recognition. I’m not going to name names, but there’ll be some out there very, very, very jealous and seething inside. And it’s quite funny to stand back and watch from a distance.”

The left-handed darter himself concludes that Littler's arrival has had a hugely positive impact on the sport. Wade himself had the honor of taking on Littler at the UK Open. The latter won this encounter 10-7 at the time. "I’m not knocking him because he’s a lovely lad and he’s doing really, really well,” Wade says. “But it just shows sometimes that with the weight of social media and the press they can make and break people, and they can fast-track players and they can also make players money that other players have never earned."

"And that’s exactly what Luke Littler is getting at the moment. He’s earning money that no other player has ever earned for the space of time he’s been around. He’s got more attention than anyone I’ve ever seen. And it’s brilliant. It’s absolutely brilliant and fair play as a young lad with a lot of pressure on his shoulders, because I say all of this, and he’s not won much yet. And he’s got more attention than I’ve ever seen Michael van Gerwen or Phil Taylor get,” the multiple major winner concludes.