"If I’ve upset a few media outlets for a couple of weeks, then so be it": Luke Humphries glad to quieten World Number One noise after Littler exit

Luke Humphries says he had to “dig deep” to overcome Cameron Menzies in a gripping encounter at the 2025 European Championship praising his Scottish opponent’s performance while insisting his focus remains on winning major titles rather than holding onto the world number one spot.

Humphries battled through a tense clash 10-9 with Menzies to book his place in the Quarter-Finals at the European Championship, and he admitted afterwards including to DartsNews that the match was every bit as tough as it looked. “Yeah, I'd assess it the same to be honest, it was a great game of darts,” Humphries said. “Cameron was really good in patches there to be fair. I feel it takes two to make a great game, and we both played well. It probably deserved to go all the way — it was really close. I felt like I was playing well scoring-wise, and in a couple of legs Cameron was just superb. I think he threw 11-, 12-, 13-darters, whatever it was. He really pushed me hard and yeah, he played well. I did as well.”

The world number one showed visible emotion on stage at times, roaring himself on during key moments — something he admits can bring out his best form when controlled properly. “Yeah, I think sometimes when I get a little bit fired up, I’m very dangerous because then I’m really determined and I don’t want to lose,” he explained. “Sometimes when you’re relaxed, you’re kind of open to the fact of losing — I don’t know how to put it, but when I’m fired up, losing isn’t an option.

“That suits me sometimes, but I can’t do it all the time. If I did that for 19 legs, I’d be worn out! But yeah, something was firing me up tonight and I’m proud of the way I came back, finished the game off and took it from the jaws of defeat to win.”

There were also some brief moments of distraction on stage including Menzies dropping a dart and some tension in the arena, but Humphries was quick to clarify there was no malice involved.

“Yeah, it wasn’t the crowd. The crowd did nothing wrong. And I don’t think Cameron was doing anything on purpose — he’s not that kind of guy,” Humphries said. “But there were little things I could hear, and when you’re in a stressful situation, the tiniest things can really annoy you. It was annoying me a bit, and sometimes when it’s happening, you’re looking back thinking, ‘What are you doing?’ But again, he wasn’t doing it deliberately. He did stop in the end. It was just nervous energy, really.”

With several seeded players falling earlier in the session, Humphries was asked whether there was added pressure on him as the world number one to avoid joining them on the way out — but he dismissed the idea that the tournament had opened up.

“I still think there are a lot of big names in this tournament,” he insisted. “People are saying all the big names have gone, but that’s not true. James Wade’s still in, Gian van Veen’s still in, Michael van Gerwen’s still in — they’re all big names. Danny Noppert as well, he’s a big name in my eyes.

“That’s four or five right there, and there are still plenty of top players left. It’s going to be a really tough one to win.”

Humphries also addressed the ongoing narrative surrounding the world number one ranking, with social media and pundits heavily discussing his battle to retain top spot. For the Humphries however that chase is secondary to adding more silverware to his growing collection as Luke Littler fell earlier tonight.

“Yeah, I mean if that was the whole agenda for the week, then it’s a bit of a shame to be honest,” he said. “Being world number one is great, but I’d rather be a major winner, a major champion, than just number one. If I’ve upset a few media outlets for a couple of weeks, then so be it — I’m sure they had a few things ready to post about Luke losing it, but fortunately I’ve upset them all, so I apologise!

“I’m still fighting. Like I said yesterday, I’m not going to give it away easily. I’ll try my hardest to keep hold of it. Maybe some of the focus has been too much on that instead of the tournament itself — I’ve seen that on social media, like ‘This is what Luke needs to do to stay number one.’

“It probably puts him under pressure as well. He’ll probably get it eventually, but right now, this is a massive tournament to win. That’s more important than the race for number one.”

Having already won multiple majors in the past two years, Humphries now has his sights set on another big title to add to his legacy. “Yeah, of course I really want to win it,” he said. “I think this is the third or fourth time I’ve made it to the final here, so I really want to go one better.

“I know if I did win overall, I’d stay world number one, but it’s not about that. I want to win this as a major because it’s such an amazing one to win. It’s really tough — you’ve got all the best players in the world here.

“It’d be another one to tick off, yeah, but then I’ll want my tenth, and then I’ll want to overtake people. I want to create history and a legacy, like I always tell you guys. So this is another step forward, but tomorrow will be another tough day and another tough game against James.”

And Humphries was full of praise for Menzies, who pushed him all the way in a thrilling encounter. “Yeah, I think he’s got the talent and the scoring power,” he said. “Tonight he showed a lot of bottle in big moments. Usually when you put him under pressure, he can sometimes fold a little bit, but tonight he didn’t. I was putting him under immense pressure, scoring well, and he stood up to it.

“He’ll be disappointed to lose, but I think he’ll come away thinking, ‘I really pushed the world number one — I’m not far away.’ I like Cameron, I always get on well with him. He’s got the potential, but he has to make sure he’s mentally strong in the big moments, because that’s what separates the good players from the great players.”