Luke Littler "could be the face of darts for the next 25 years" but Barry Hearn expresses need for 'The Nuke' to stay grounded

In just a few short months, Luke Littler has been launched into the public limelight and become a household name across the UK.

The 17-year-old Englishman burst onto the scene at the past World Darts Championship, where he eventually lost to Luke Humphries in the final. This was followed by tournament victories at the Belgian Darts Open and Austrian Darts Open, among others. He is also currently making a name for himself in the Premier League Darts.

These impressive performances on the board and have massive marketability have earned Littler numerous sponsorship contracts. For example, he now has his own set of darts that are sold, he is under contract with a clothing manufacturer and even recently starred in a TV commercial. PDC president Barry Hearn sees that Littler has tremendous potential, but admits teen's schedulemust be managed.

"This is a Boris Becker moment, this is a Tiger Woods moment. He's clearly got a lot going for him, his parents and the group around him are very supportive. Now they mustn't just look at the money because that will come automatically if you are good enough," Hearn tells the Telegraph. "There's a tremendous number of great players coming through because they smell the money. Top of the tree darts players are probably earning £2 to £2.5million a year. The biggest job for him will be to actually control his diary."

"With him it's a question of drip-feeding his notoriety. If I was managing him I'd put his fee up to an astronomical number and then, by the laws of supply and demand, that will cut down the possibility of him being burnt out," Hearn continues. "You compare it to [tennis player Emma] Raducanu. I wouldn't be cruel and call it a flash in the pan but that [Raducanu's 2021 US Open victory] is a one-off that hasn't been followed up. She's still a good player – there's something missing there, injuries whatever. This kid [Littler], you think, could be the face of darts for the next 25 years."