"How many world titles can I get? What achievements can I achieve?" - Luke Humphries discloses ambitions on legacy he wants to create

Luke Humphries is starting to ramp his preparations up for the World Grand Prix, as he looks to regain his title he clinched back in 2023.

He faces a tough test in the first night of action at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, facing off against Nathan Aspinall. The pair have enjoyed some thrilling contests in the past, with another classic possibly on the horizon.

Before all of this, the world number one played in an exhibition event with MDA and MODUS in Wrexham, as he looked to add the finishing touches to his game before a busy end to the season, with the World Grand Prix the first of five major tournaments coming up, culminating with the World Championships.

"This is actually a really good venue to be honest," Humphries said in an interview with Online Darts. There’s a lot of people here and the vibe’s pretty good. So yeah, it’s a good event — I’m looking forward to tonight.

"I think this is the lucky thing for us being part of Modus. We’re very lucky to get many exhibitions — it puts us in a good frame of mind, playing a lot and playing against good-quality opposition as well. For the likes of me and Jonny [Clayton] tonight, playing against each other, it’s good practice and great preparation for the big majors that are coming up."

Cool Hand Luke's 5-2 victory over Gerwyn Price in the 2023 final was the first of four major titles he would go on to win, seeing him streak up the rankings right to the top, and he has not been perched off since. He ran into a phenomenal Mike De Decker who fended him off in last year's final, but now he is feeling that he has the confidence in his game to challenge once more for the title.

"Yeah, I am. I think the World Series Finals weren’t too bad — a little bit better than it had been," Humphries said. "And last week was much, much better. I felt a lot more in my zone, a lot more fluent and confident. You saw two great performances from me on the Sunday. So yeah, that’s going to give me confidence now and make me very dangerous going forward for the rest of the season.

"It’s a massive tournament — the one that really kick-started my career. So it’s nice for it to come back around two years later. Of course, I’m defending it on the rankings, but does it bother me? No, not at all, to be honest. I’m not here to worry about staying world number one. I’m just here to enjoy being part of everything I’ve been a part of over the last few years and to try and win as many majors as I can. That’s my full focus."

For the first time since the start of 2024, Humphries may drop down in the rankings, with a ruthless Luke Littler charging at him. Humphries has to defend just over half of his prize money for the rest of the year, which would currently see him go to Ally Pally as the world number two, just behind the 18-year-old. However, Humphries is not looking at that, focusing more on what legacy he could create in the sport.

"Like you say, I’ve been world number one — it may continue, who knows?" he said. "But I’ve won all the big majors I wanted to win, and now it’s about creating a legacy. How many majors can I win before I retire? How many world titles can I get? What achievements can I achieve? That’s what it’s all about now. I’d love to be in the top five when I retire with the most major titles or World Championships — that type of thing. It’s about trying to create the best legacy I can for myself and my name.

"There’s so much pressure when you become world number one or world champion that sometimes you forget to actually enjoy it — enjoy everything you’re part of, all the lovely exhibitions and corporate events I’m very blessed to do. Sometimes you take it for granted. I think now it’s coming to that point where I might lose the world number one spot, and if it happens, it’s not the end of the world. I’ve achieved so much, and I can always get it back. I’m not handing it over already — I know I’d have to win the World Championship to stay number one, which would obviously be great for me, but I’d rather be world champion again than think too much about rankings."

The World Series of Darts Finals could be a massive turning point in the career of Michael van Gerwen. Once known as the dominant force in the sport, a turn around in form has seen him unable to challenge and more importantly win less than he used to. He recently brought an end to his two-year major drought, claiming the title in Amsterdam after defeating Humphries, Josh Rock, and Littler on the way to glory.

"Not particularly, no," Humphries said when asked if he was surprised to see the Dutchman winning once more. "I didn’t see it coming, but that’s the point — you’re not supposed to. When he comes back, he does it when everyone least expects it. I didn’t know how it would go after he beat me — I thought maybe he might dip a bit, but he didn’t. In the past we’ve seen one good performance followed by a dip, so I thought that might happen again. But when he beat Josh and then Luke in the final, it showed he’s back to that real level he’s known for. If he can keep that consistency across majors, he’ll be right back in the mix with me and Luke in the big finals. That’s where he belongs — he just needs two or three strong majors in a row to really re-establish himself."

Humphries has won practically everything in the sport over the last two years. However, one currently off his CV is the European Championships, which will take place in Dortmund between 23-26th October. Previously reaching the quarter-finals three years on the bounce, Cool Hand Luke will be hoping to vastly improve on that. But this is not currently on his mind.

"I wouldn’t say extra focused, but I know what’s on the line. If I can win that, then the only one left for me would be the UK Open to complete the full set.," Humphries said. "If I could pick just one of the next four to win, I’d probably pick that one because I haven’t won it yet. But I’m focused on all of them — it’s a big end to the year. There’s nothing better than going into the Worlds in good form. If you can pick up one or two majors before then, you go in very confident."

Even the World Championships are too far away for the 30-year-old to be contemplating. "Honestly, very easy. We’re still far away from it," he said. "If you’re thinking about the World Championships already, you’re forgetting about the four big majors before it. For me, it’s not on my mind at all. The only time it will be is after the Players Championship Finals end and I go to the World Championship media day. That’s when I’ll start thinking about it. Right now, my focus is on the Grand Prix. You have to take each tournament as it comes — thinking too far ahead can trip you up."