Luke Littler states that he is now open to any competitive teasing from his rivals in the darts circuit. At just 18 years old, and reflecting on his journey since winning the world championship, he shared his frustration with opponents who raise their game to beat him but then do not perform well in later matches: “That does annoy me.” As he gears up to defend his BetMGM Premier League title, which he claimed during his inaugural season last year, he is set to encounter a rematch of his World Championship final against Michael van Gerwen. Furthermore, Littler has received backlash from van Gerwen for being tardy to the players’ media day, with van Gerwen suggesting that the PDC should cease accommodating him, commenting, “How late was he – 45 minutes?” The PDC should stop regarding him as a child; he is now 18 years old. “He needs to learn that this is a professional sport, and with that comes the responsibility for his actions.” I’m indifferent if he arrives late for the interview, but it’s important to note that there were seven other individuals waiting for him. That’s rather unkind, isn’t it? Littler acknowledged that he overslept for 25 minutes but didn’t take van Gerwen’s remarks seriously, laughing off the accusation of laziness. While he hasn’t gone over the entire final match, Littler did catch the moment of victory and recognizes that MVG will be eager to win. However, as the current champion, Littler feels equally prepared to face the upcoming challenges. Over the next 17 weeks, he will travel to seven different countries for the Thursday night darts events, and he’ll need more than just an unexpected nap to meet the forthcoming demands. Despite maintaining an average of over 100 in all three of his competitive losses in 2025, Littler is left questioning why he couldn’t secure a win, according to The Mirror. He remembers the trend starting during last year’s UK Open, where he faced a narrow defeat against Australia’s top player, Damon Heta, in a thrilling quarter-final match. Heta subsequently lost in the semi-finals. As the tournament advances, Littler and world No. 1 Luke Humphries, who are favored by bookmakers, have observed that they are becoming key targets. Littler voiced his frustration, stating: “In the last six to eight months, we have realized that we have a target on our backs, and opponents raise their performance levels when facing us.” He went on to say, “Does it frustrate me?”
