"Only one person probably could have beaten me at the standard I was playing at" - Luke Humphries puts himself on par with Luke Littler while sharing displeasure with new format

Luke Humphries produced some brilliant moments in his tie against Paolo Nebrida but was also dragged into a competitive contest, managing to prevail 5-3 with a 105.07 average at the Grand Slam of Darts.

He seemed to be satisfied with his performance. "To be fair, the scoring was really good. I think the doubles were a little bit up and down in parts, but overall I'd say it was pretty decent," he said in his press conference.

"Obviously, it's a nervy game, the first one. With this new format, if you lose, unfortunately, you're out. I feel like that anyway. So it's important to win that first game because, whatever happens tomorrow, the likelihood is I'll probably have a straight shootout with Joe on Tuesday. If I don't, then there are going to be lots of permutations, and I don't like that. I'd rather just know where I stand, so let's see what happens."

Nebrida is a methodical player on the oche, like a lot of the Asian players. It was slightly challenging for Humphries to get on top of, but he managed to do so and reaped the rewards. "I think he's probably one of the Asian players who actually does have a little bit of a quicker throw, and he's a little bit quicker picking his darts up and stuff," he commented.

"So, yeah, it wasn't too tough. Obviously, the Asian players – most of them are quite slow and methodical, like you say. It's not what we're used to as players, so sometimes it can be a little bit harder. But you just have to get on with it. I don't think he was too slow there. He didn't really affect my rhythm, maybe just making me wait a few more seconds than I usually would. But it's the stuff you have to get used to."

He praised his Filipino opponent. "I actually thought he played decently, to be fair. He's not going to be a walkover tomorrow. He's still in the tournament, and if he can get a good win tomorrow, depending on the permutations, he can still get through. I think he'll be proud of his performance. Obviously, I'm proud of mine, and, yeah, I look forward to Tuesday."

It did not take long for Humphries to be asked about the new format. It has got a mixed reception so far with its brutal nature meaning that any mistake could spell doom. 'Cool Hand Luke' had an opinion on it.

"Not really. I'm not really a big fan of it. I understand it from the PDC's perspective, but for me, what made the Grand Slam so special was the fact that there were four players in a group. You could lose your first game and be disappointed, but think, 'You know what? If I win my next two and play well, I can qualify.'"

If it is not broken, do not fix it is the moto that Humphries seemed to be leaning towards. "With this one, it almost feels like a straight knockout again. I felt the Grand Slam was so special because there were so many permutations and all those types of things.

"So, yeah, I'm not really a big fan because I thought it was so special with 32 players and four players in a group. I think a lot of the pros backstage think the same as well, but it is what it is. You just have to adapt and try to learn these different ways. Pretty much, like I said, it's a straight knockout. You lose the first game and it's over. Previously, you could lose the first game but still stand a chance. So, yeah, it is what it is now."

Humphries is yet to win the European Championship, and he will have to wait another year after missing the 2026 edition due to illness. He was hugely disappointed, but rested and now feels replenished, shown by winning Players Championship 33 and reaching the final of Players Championship 34.

"I mean, of course I didn't physically need to, but obviously, after missing the European Championship, I had to do it to see where my energy levels were," he stated. "I'd sat down for two or three weeks, not really doing much and not really practising much. I did have a little practice three or four days before the Pro Tours, so I was going into it with a bit of practice.

"It was more to do with the fact that I needed to see where I was. Say if I had one or two games and all of a sudden I was really tired, I'd think, 'Right, well, I need to do something about it.' But, yeah, it went really well. The performances weren't absolutely incredible, but they were decent. To make two finals on the Pro Tours was really, really tough work, so I felt like it did me the world of good. Coming here, I felt in a confident mood and, as you say, I put in a decent performance."

He was obviously very frustrated to miss out, but admitted that there was a sense of inevitability that something like that may occur one day. "You can ask any pro and they're going to be disappointed if they miss any major. But for someone like myself, who pushes himself to be in everything he physically can, every major, I want to be in everything. It's really, really tough.

"Obviously, in the World Grand Prix I played really well in the end, and I felt like I'd turned a new leaf. My form was finally starting to show a little bit of consistency, and all of a sudden this happens. The food poisoning meant I had to take a step back, and it's like, well, I haven't thrown for probably two or three weeks. Who knows? Am I going to come back and still be the same again, or are we going to have to work for two or three months to try to get back to that level?

"So obviously, the Pro Tours, as Phil just said, were really important. I needed to go there, perform decently and think, 'Okay, well, I've not just lost it all of a sudden.' But, yeah, I was really disappointed because I felt like I'd turned a new leaf. I was going into that tournament almost feeling like the favourite in my own mind. I felt like I could have won it, so it obviously disappointed me that I couldn't be there. But it is what it is. Life sometimes takes unexplained turns, and you can't really do anything about it."

This time last year, Humphries reached the final but was bettered by Luke Littler. It was around the time where 'The Nuke' was pressuring him in the rankings. "No, to be honest with you, not really. I wasn't really thinking about the world number one scenario last year. Obviously, I just wanted to win this tournament," he said.

"I think if Luke had made the final and I'd won it, it wouldn't have mattered – I still would have been world number two. But I'd rather have been world number two and won the Grand Slam last year than be world number one and not win it."

Titles are the main thing for the former world champion. "They're obviously fantastic, and I'd love to stay at number two, maybe be number one one day again. But for me, it's about winning major tournaments, keeping myself at a consistent level, playing good darts and pushing all the top pros. That's what I've really come here for. I know that I'm a danger in every major I play in. I don't win them all, and I don't play in finals all the time, but when I come here and perform and play my best, I know I'm always a danger."

He believed that if anyone was going to stop Littler, it would be him. "I felt that going into the European Championship I would have had the standard of play that everyone would have liked. Only one person probably could have beaten me at the standard I was playing at, and that would have been Luke. But, yeah, I'm not going into this thinking I'm the favourite now. Obviously, it's a long time since the World Grand Prix, so I go into this tournament thinking I'm probably second favourite."