"If I don't ever win another major tournament, I'll leave this career happy": Luke Humphries though remains hungry for more success

Luke Humphries has declared he is far from finished in his pursuit of major silverware, despite already boasting one of the most decorated careers in recent years. Speaking at the 2025 Australian Darts Masters, the World No.1 reflected on his rise, the challenge of maintaining elite form, and the disappointment of England’s World Cup campaign alongside Luke Littler.

Humphries, who famously shed a significant amount of weight before transforming himself into one of the sport’s dominant forces, admitted critics once doubted his longevity at the top.

“People were saying it was just a purple patch,” he said. “But if it’s a purple patch for 10 years and I never do it again, oh well — I’ve earned millions of pounds and I’m happy. It’s been a good couple of years.

“I’m up there with probably one of the top five achievements in darts history. James Wade sits at number three with 10 major titles, and I sit fourth or fifth with eight. If I don’t ever win another major tournament, I’ll always leave this career feeling happy because I’ve achieved so much. But of course, I’m not going to leave this career with eight. I want to win more.”

The 29-year-old insists there is still plenty more to come from him, with a long career ahead and a new generation of rivals raising the standard. “I could still have 20, 25 years, and it’d be disastrous if I didn’t win another 10 or 15 more. You’ve got so many great players now — Luke [Littler], Josh Rock, Gezzy Price — they’re all playing fantastic. Major titles are going to be a lot harder to win now, but you can’t take anything away from the eight I’ve already won. I’ve had to work hard for them, and I think dropping the weight did help that.”

Humphries and Littler went into this year’s World Cup of Darts as red-hot favourites, with the No.1 and No.2 pairing billed as England’s strongest ever team. However, their campaign ended in an early and shock exit.

“Honestly, I can’t put it down to anything,” Humphries reflected. “I don’t think we tried too hard, and I didn’t feel pressured. I just feel like it was a hard environment for us to play in, and I think Luke struggled with that. Every time we threw a dart there was a massive chorus of boos and whistles, and it’s not easy.

“It’s not an excuse — the crowd made it hard for us, but that’s their prerogative. In any sport, it’s harder to win away from home. When we went 2–0 up and missed those five darts to go 3–2 up, and they took out that finish, I think that’s what really killed us.”

Despite the setback, Humphries is confident the duo will bounce back. “I’m the same as Luke in liking a faster pace, and I think if we go again, we’ll win. We’ll understand what went wrong last time.”

Like many top players, Humphries is no stranger to online criticism following defeats, but he revealed that both he and Littler avoid social media in the aftermath. “We’re smart people — we know that when you lose a game of darts you get so much hate,” he said. “We’re not silly. We don’t look on social media afterwards.” With his sights firmly set on adding to his eight major titles, Humphries is aiming to ensure this “purple patch” continues for many more years.