Is Luke Humphries the best player in the world at the moment? Wayne Mardle thinks so after a terrific Grand Slam of Darts triumph for the World Grand Prix champion.
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It has been a whirlwind 50 days or so for Humphries who has won two major titles in just over a month and heads towards the World Darts Championship as joint favourite with Michael van Gerwen from title sponsors, Paddy Power.
But Mardle was full of praise for Humphries saying that unlike those like Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson who have been touted as the best, he is winning titles and that he believes young darts fans should also use him as a role model and benchmark.
"He's playing the darts of his life right now. No-one knows if this is going to be it, we don't know. Life has a funny way of throwing us curveballs. But what we do know is right now, I believe he is the best player on the planet," said Mardle to Sky Sports.
"Right now, he's the one winning the trophies and that's all that matters. When you haven't won a major, there's always that can he do it? Can he cross the line? There's none of that.
"The world of darts needs people like Luke Humphries. He looks great, he plays with an ease. He talks so well. This is the now and future of darts. There's got to be kids watching that have just picked up a dart, that's who they should be looking up to. That's somebody that goes about their business in the right way.
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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