Luke Littler seemingly not set to return to action until September in snubbing Australia for American holiday: "Not think about darts and come back for the World Series"

Luke Littler continues to amaze the darts world. Not only on the oche, where he keeps collecting major titles, but now away from it as well. On Thursday, a giant mural was unveiled in his hometown of Warrington as a tribute to the still only 19-year-old world champion. For Littler, it marked another memorable moment in a year that continues to bring one success after another.

However, someone had already seen the artwork before the man himself. Littler's grandmother spotted the mural a day before its official unveiling. "It's amazing," Littler said. "My nan was on the bus going past yesterday and she got off to speak to the guys.

"Then she phoned my dad and mentioned it, so she saw it before all of us. We all can't believe it. I think the old Luke Littler wouldn't have ever thought about this happening, but it's happened and I'm very happy about it."

A mural in his honour comes as little surprise given Littler's remarkable achievements over the past few months. Last week, he added the World Matchplay title to his growing collection, securing yet another prestigious major crown.

Earlier this year, he also claimed the World Championship, UK Open, Premier League Darts and World Masters titles, leaving him on course to complete a historic clean sweep of every major televised tournament.

At the World Matchplay in Blackpool, Littler produced one of the finest performances of his career. In the final against Gerwyn Price, he averaged an astonishing 111.53, setting a new record for a World Matchplay final. Across the tournament, he also hit a record-breaking 66 maximum 180s.

Those performances have left him full of confidence heading into the rest of the season. "With performances like that not many people can stop me," Littler continued. "I'm feeling very good. The clean sweep is very much on."

Before the next stage of the season begins, Littler has decided to take a well-earned break. The reigning world champion is travelling to Orlando for a holiday and plans to switch off from darts completely. "Last week was up there with one of my best performances throughout a tournament," he said. "I was very happy with it, but now I need to relax, go to America, chill out, not think about darts and come back for the World Series. I won't be throwing darts in America, I'll be chilling out."

Littler's extraordinary achievements have inevitably led to comparisons with 16-time world champion Phil Taylor, who is still widely regarded as the greatest darts player of all time. Despite the growing hype, Littler remains grounded.

"It is amazing to see the comparisons with Phil Taylor, but I am just myself. If I do go on and beat his records then I will be the best, but for now Phil will always be the 'GOAT'."

The unveiling of the mural was a particularly special occasion for Littler. Not only because of the impressive scale of the artwork, but because the tribute now stands permanently in the town where he was born.

"They've done a really good job," he said of his mural. "I wouldn't have turned it down, definitely not in Warrington."

With a world title, multiple major trophies, record-breaking performances and now a permanent place in the streets of his hometown, 2026 is already shaping up to be a season that will go down in history for Luke Littler. The question is no longer whether he will win more titles, but just how many more records he will rewrite in the years ahead.