Phil Taylor has had to deal with a huge setback. 'The Power' was scheduled to play his very last professional tournament at the World Seniors Masters on Nov. 8-9, but has had to withdraw.
The 64-year-old also had to withdraw last month's World Seniors Matchplay. Taylor underwent hip surgery last summer and is still working on his recovery.
"I'm struggling a bit with my hip. Scar tissue," Taylor admits in conversation with Online Darts, reflecting on his recent hip surgery. "Everything was going fine, but then I just did a little too much and apparently I've torn my scar tissue. So yeah, it's a bit painful."
"It's been the worst pain I've ever had these last twelve months. Honestly, I'll be glad when this year is gone," he reveals. "Practicing, I've been okay, but when you've been playing for a few hours there's this really bad pain in the hip. It's like having toothache and it drives me crazy, it really does."
So the Champion of Champions tournament in March, which was also part of the World Seniors Darts Tour (WSDT), was 'The Power's' very last tournament. At that event, Taylor lost in the first round to Martin Adams (10-9).
Taylor spent three years on the senior circuit, where he reached the finals at the World Seniors Masters and World Seniors Matchplay in 2022. However, the darts legend lost both finals.
Four years earlier, Taylor had retired from the PDC circuit, where the 2018 World Darts Championship was his last tournament. Taylor's record includes 16 world titles, 16 World Matchplay titles, 11 World Grand Prix titles, six Grand Slam titles and six Premier League titles, making the Stoke-on-Trent-based dart player considered the best dart player of all time.
