LITTLER: I HAD TO IGNORE THE HATE

LUKE LITTLER admits he had to not “bite back” at critics after his breakthrough rise.

The World No1 opened up on dealing with negativity from fans and media, revealing it was difficult to handle in the early days of his career.

Littler, 19, reached the final of the World Championship at just 16 on debut and has since won TWELVE major titles. 

But Littler insists he has now learned to block out the noise and focus on what really matters.

He told the Wayne Rooney Show: “Yeah, I mean, there’s always negativity with, I think, not only darts, football, every sport.  

“People are going to like you; people aren’t going to like you, and that’s just the way it is.

“Obviously, the fans that pay for tickets, pay the money to watch us in person. 

“I think obviously they do mean the most because they want to watch us play good darts, and obviously we’re always fighting to win against each other.

“Especially with the media and bringing social media into it, the first time after the first Worlds, it was hard to not bite back at people, but now it’s just leave it. We’ve got used to it.”

The Warrington whizkid also admitted it may have been a blessing in disguise not to win at Ally Pally in 2024, after falling to Luke Humphries in the event showpiece.

Littler has since gone on to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy back-to-back to cement his dominance on the oche. 

He added: “I think if I won the World Championships on debut, I think it would have been mental. 

“I think two days after, when we went back home, even my mum and dad said, looking back at it now, we’re glad that you didn’t win it because it would have just been 100 times worse.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.