"We feel we have to give something back": Luke Humphries feels a responsibility to play World Series amid high profile absences

Luke Humphries admitted his opening win at the 2025 Australian Darts Masters was far from his best, but said simply getting the job done was enough for now after a period where practice has taken a back seat.

“Yeah, there’s not really much to say to be honest — I don’t think it was great,” Humphries reflected. “It’s a lack of effort from myself. I’ve not really practised since the World Cup match when I lost — I’ve been on holiday and stuff, so a lot of other things have been on my mind. I got what I deserved really. I’ve not been practising and that’s my own fault. It wasn’t great, but I got the win and hopefully tomorrow’s different.”

His early Matchplay exit, while disappointing, gave the world number one a rare opportunity to recharge. “When I lost, I was obviously a bit disappointed, but there are positives in a loss — I get to spend more time with my family. Of course, I’d love to win everything, but when you don’t, you’ve got to take the positives. For me, that was going on holiday, enjoying time with my family. It’s different for me because over the last 18–20 months I’ve not had many opportunities to do that. So yeah, disappointed the Matchplay didn’t go my way, but you can’t win everything, and it gave me the chance to do something different.”

There was intrigue after Humphries pointed to the sky following his victory, but he chose not to elaborate. “I can’t talk about it right now. You’ll find out,” he said briefly.

The reigning world champion also stressed that these two World Series events are not about peaking for the winter but about enjoyment particularly with his father alongside him on the trip. “Not really, to be honest. I’m just going to enjoy these and have a bit of fun with my dad. It’s been hard for him recently — he’s been going through a lot, which everyone will find out about soon, but it’s not been easy. So it’s nice to come over, have some time out, and enjoy ourselves. I’m on holiday straight away after I come back from New Zealand for 10 days, and when I get back from that — I think the next one after is the Czech Darts Masters — that’s when I’ll be on it. I’ll start practising harder again, because I have neglected it, I’ll be honest. Since the Premier League, I’ve just not had the mindset to practise a lot, and that’s my fault. Usually I’m quite consistent with practising, but I’ve been guilty of letting it slide. When I come back from that holiday, I’ll be back on it and ready to have a good back end to the year.”

Humphries knew his first-round opponent, New Zealand’s Jonny Tata, would be no pushover. “Jonny's one of the toughest draws you could get. I think Haupai Puha and Jonny are probably the toughest three you could draw, in my opinion. I knew it would be tough. He could probably have played a lot better than he did — he had control and a really good spurt for three legs to take the game away from him a little bit and put him under pressure. But if I didn’t do that, it could have been completely different — he could have been 3–0 or 4–0 up and it would have been very tough for me. I showed a bit of class in that moment where I didn’t let my performance defeat me. I know Jonny can play a lot better than he did, but he played well. I was fortunate he missed a couple of big shots here and there.”

After months of reduced match play, Humphries admitted his practice habits have slipped since the end of the Premier League. “There’s no one else to blame but myself. It’s not like it’s impossible for me to practise after the Premier League, it’s just one of those things where your mind drifts and you enjoy the moment, but you’re not playing much. You miss European Tours here, Pro Tours there, World Series events — you don’t throw a dart for three weeks, then you come in cold, play, then have another two weeks off. You go cold again. I think it’s just that part of the calendar — two and a half months where I’m not playing much — and I’m one of those players who needs something to play for to practise. The last four months of the year will probably be a lot better because I’ll be practising and playing a lot.”

Having his father with him is a source of balance, but Humphries stressed that these events won’t have a direct impact on the business end of the year. “Whatever happens this weekend won’t have any effect on the back end of the year, because I’m going away for 10 days again straight after this, so that’s 12 days off practice. Even if I win both events, it won’t change anything. Once I come back from that holiday and I’ve had a good rest with my family, then I’ll come back ready — I’ve got to defend the Grand Prix, Grand Slam, Players Championship and the Worlds. I’ll have the ambition to work and practise hard.”

Although some feel his best darts come in the colder months, Humphries says it’s about form and sharpness, not the season. “For me it’s more about playing a lot and feeling fresh. When I’m playing and practising a lot, that’s when I’m at my best. The last couple of months I’ve not been, and I’ve not put the effort in — that’s on me. If I’d been sharper, I probably would have done better in the Matchplay. It’s not something I regret, but sometimes you get found out if you don’t work hard. When I won the Masters I said I’d practise harder than ever — and I didn’t. I’ve realised now I have to get back on the practice board and work hard, because if you don’t practise hard, you don’t reap the rewards.”

And on why he chose to make the long trip to Australia as World No.1, Humphries was clear amid the absences of the likes of Michael van Gerwen and Nathan Aspinall among others: “This is one you really have to commit to sometimes. I feel like the PDC give you so much, they’re so respectful, and I’ve earned so much money through them. You feel like you have to give something back. A lot of players don’t want to travel because it’s school holidays and they want their own time off, but I think this is one you really have to commit to sometimes. Me and Luke [Littler] have had such a busy year, but we feel like we have to give something back. Of course we won’t be here every year, because I’ve got kids and I can’t be away in Australia for two or three weeks every summer. My stepdaughter has six weeks off school and I don’t want to miss that. But I love it here — it’s a great country with great people — and when I’m over, I enjoy it. I just also owe a lot to my family at home.”