James Wade has spoken out for the first time since losing the 2025 World Matchplay Darts final to Luke Littler.
Littler won a highly competitive match-up 18-13, having trailed 5-0 at the first interval.
Both players averaged over 100, with Wade hitting 44 per cent of his doubles compared to Littler's 41.
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But the 18-year-old hit a staggering 17 180s and possessed scoring power which his opponent simply couldn't match.
It is the second time that Wade has lost a major final to Littler this year after the UK Open - though the 2007 Matchplay champion was far more competitive on Sunday compared to his previous 11-2 defeat.
He has been one of the best-performing players on planet darts this year and now sits at world number five on on the two-year ranking list.
Given Wade hasn't progressed beyond the second round at either of his last two World Championship appearances, he stands in a good position to qualify automatically for the Premier League by ranking inside the top four if he can have a strong run at Alexandra Palace.
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After their clash at the Winter Gardens, Littler revealed that his opponent had congratulated him on his victory.
But darts fans watching on Sky Sports noticed that, when the 18-year-old was receiving the Phil Taylor Trophy, Wade had already exited the stage.
The 42-year-old has received some criticism on social media but, in a new post, once again praised Littler and spoke of his joy at reaching the final - appearing to indicate that his decision to walk off was based on nothing more than allowing Littler to soak in his success.
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Wade wrote: "Morning all, I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who's supported me this week. My fans, my family Sammi [wife] and the boys, my sponsors and my management.
"It has been a brilliant week of highs and ultimately I'm so happy I made it to the finals last night. A big congratulations to Luke on the win.
"I'm really looking forward to some down time to recoup. Thank you all. Cheers, James."
What did Littler say about Wade?
Speaking after his victory in his post-match press conference, Littler referenced Wade's on-stage comments at the Winter Gardens - as well as a bizarre recurring exchange between Wade and a fan.
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"He just said, 'Well played, brilliant tournament, and well done'," he admitted.
"He's definitely got a lot better since the UK Open. Obviously, I had it my way in Minehead, he had his in the first five legs [in the Matchplay], and I got myself back into it and went on to pick up the trophy.
"A few of the times, there was shouting in the top left corner. I don't know who it was.
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"I think when we went off for the third or fourth break, I went up to James and said, 'I can hear that now'. Then obviously we spoke about it. I had to let [him] know that we could both hear it."
Littler sets new Triple Crown record
In winning darts' Triple Crown - the World Championship, World Matchplay and Premier League - Littler has become the fastest player ever to reach the landmark.
He is the second player to achieve the feat this year, with Luke Humphries having done so by winning the 2025 Premier League title.
Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson are the other members of the Triple Crown club.
Four active players, including Wade, have won two Triple Crown titles, with Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross and Peter Wright being the other three.
Van Barneveld has been on two titles since winning the 2014 Premier League, with the Matchplay title evading him.
The Dutchman famously defeated Taylor 7-6 in a sudden death leg in 2007, in what was one of the greatest World Championship finals in darts history.
Topics: Darts, Luke Littler
Ryan Smart