LUKE HUMPHRIES has vowed not to put “pressure” on himself as he bids for glory as a world champion.
‘Cool Hand’ took criticism from some quarters after his low-key start to the year after taking victory at the Ally Pally.
But Humphries, 28, opened up on losing his nan just days after winning the world title which affected his game.
He takes on Michael Smith in the Premier League in Nottingham tonight and said: “I am not going to put too much pressure on myself anymore. I comment back to people sometimes on social media, which I shouldn’t do. I am not going to do it anymore.
“I feel like my game is in a good place, my mental state is in a good place. I am at that stage where I am not going to allow anybody to drag me down.
“This is a future for me if I want it for many, many years, if I doesn’t go well for a couple of months, you have to accept that. If it didn’t go well for me after the worlds, but now look at things.
“I’m aware of it as it’s the people that I follow. I don’t tend to see the things that ain’t on the For You page.
“I don’t tend to go on social media as much anymore. Unfortunately it’s not full of love, it’s full of hate sometimes.
“Honestly for the one bad message you get sometimes, nine of them are fantastic. I don’t want to think too much about the negativity, it’s all about the positivity for me.
“This is what this game is about, if you are winning everything is positive. Everything will follow.
“My mental state is fantastic. I am doing really well, I’m enjoying the game, I will go out there and enjoy it. I have achieved all those dreams.”
Humphries has started to show the top form he delivered at the end of 2023 which helped him win four major titles.
He added: “It has been a long slog since the world championship, a lot of darts thrown, but I feel more myself now. I feel like I am enjoying the game a lot more than I was a few weeks ago. The form has shown that in my performances.
“If people don’t think I am playing that great and still hitting 100-odd averages, it shows that I am playing well within myself.
“I believe I can get better and more consistent. I have done this year. I probably started off this year better than any year I have ever played.
“Nothing has changed since becoming a world champion. Every time I walk up on that stage, I don’t think about it. Everybody wants to beat you. I am up there to enjoy myself. See however many major titles I can win before I retire.”
Night Seven: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham.
Quarter-Finals – Peter Wright v Gerwyn Price, Luke Humphries v Michael Smith, Michael van Gerwen v Luke Littler, Rob Cross v Nathan Aspinall.
Images by Taylor Lanning.
