"Honestly, I’d rather be defending it than not" - Luke Humphries discloses mentality as he prepares to defend his major titles

Luke Humphries is ramping up his preparation for a busy end to 2025, with multiple major tournaments on the horizon, with him defending most of them. The first one is the World Grand Prix, an event he won two years ago.

The world number one has been on the road competing in exhibitions to get into the best possible condition ahead of the competition in Leicester. It is not just practice for the Grand Prix, but the opportunity to meet his fans, with his popularity sky rocketing with darts continuous rise.

"It's a great opportunity for the fans to come up and see you personally, to meet you personally as well, which is obviously the reason why we do these," Humphries said in an interview with Boyle Sports. "Again, it's good practice for us as well. I’m playing with Johnny Clayton, Adrian Lewis, and Barneveld — all these players give you good match practice going into the big tournaments.

"Everywhere I am — especially when I'm in my hometown of Crewe — you go shopping and people come up for photos, signatures. It's really nice because you see the love from so many people that you don’t always see on social media. Social media can be tough, but in person, people are so lovely and appreciative. I always have time for anyone that wants to meet me."

Humphries explained how his darting career commenced. "I was about 10 or 11. My mum and dad had stopped playing darts when I was born, then started again when I was about nine or ten," he said. "My dad put a dartboard up in the spare room, and I wanted to play too. By about 13, I started getting decent and played in pubs. I was about 15 or 16. He was a really good player — averaged about 80 — and we played first to 10 every night. Eventually, I started winning.

"When I was 17 or 18. I wasn’t really playing darts much then — went out, lived my life a bit. Came back around 19 or 20. A friend, Chris, got me back into Super League darts. I was working 6–5 every day, then practising two hours after work. Hard work, but I’m proud of it."

When asked for his best advice, he said; "Perseverance. When you’re young, it’s easy to get down when you’re not achieving early. He always told me everything happens for a reason — keep going."

It has not been an easy road for Humphries, with him struggling with anxiety and panic attacks on stage. He has won his battle against his demons and has got to the other side as one of the best players in the world.

"It was anxiety that held me back early on. Around 21 or 22, I started struggling on stage — feeling claustrophobic, wanting to get off," Humphries said. "Over time, I got used to it. Losing weight helped massively too — I started feeling at my best.

Humphries had dominated on the European Tour for a couple of years, rising up the rankings into the top five. Just one thing was missing: his first major title. He would eventually get over the line in the Grand Prix back in 2023, defeating Gerwyn Price 5-2 in a standout moment in his career.

"I felt close. I’d been in a few semis," Humphries said. "Then at the Grand Prix, I started slow, came back against Peter Wright, and that was the turning point. The first set wasn’t great [against Price], but after that, I was brilliant. It gave me the belief I could win more majors.

He capped it off with a phenomenal 138 checkout, "Yeah, best 138 ever! And a 170 earlier — John Part called it 'the icebreaker.'"

After that, he triumphed in the Grand Slam and the Players Championship Finals, going into the World Championships as the overwhelming favourite. Despite this, an unfamiliar foe in the form of Luke Littler would push him all the way in the final. Fortunately, for Humphries, he was able to fend the 16-year-old off to achieve his dream.

"It was surreal. I actually slept well the night before! Everything went perfectly — even my Nando’s order. Chicken butterfly, rice and chips. Practised well, played well, celebrated until 7am! That feeling of being world champion is unmatched," he said.

It is a huge period for the world number one, with his ranking coming under serious threat. While Littler defends nothing until the World Championships, Humphries has to defend just over half of his prize money. Despite this, he would still choose to defend it, with this adding the fact that he has previously won it.

"Honestly, I’d rather be defending it than not — because it means I’ve won it," he said. "If I lose it, I’ve still been world number one for two years, and I’m proud of that. They’re vital for staying world number one. If I win the Worlds, I’ll stay there. If not, I’ll drop, but that’s fine — I’ll fight to get it back."

Even if he does drop down to world number two, it would not change much for him. "I don’t think it’d change much. My record speaks for itself — four majors in 2023, two last year, two this year. If I keep that up for 10 years, I’ll be happy. It’s good for the sport to have two players fighting for number one."