Luke Littler has announced he has made an unprecedented decision after he parted company with his management team.
Before his World Grand Prix first round match against fellow former world youth champion Gian van Veen, Littler confirmed his split from manager Martin Foulds and the ZXF management company.
ZXF have represented Littler since 2020, and have fellow PDC stars Nathan Aspinall and Chris Dobey on their books.
In his statement, the world champion confirmed he would be taking 'the next step with new representation'.
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He went on to defeat Van Veen 2-0 in sets in round one on Tuesday night.
In the process, he set the third-highest three-dart average (105.58) in a single match in World Grand Prix history.
Incredibly, the new record was set by his Dutch opponent, who registered an average of 106.47 but only won two of the eight legs.
Speaking after the match, Littler was asked about the split with his management team and made several notable remarks.
The 18-year-old also confirmed that he would represent himself moving forward.
He explained: "I'm on my own. Just as myself.
"I just think it's better - obviously I've got my family to support me. Martin, he did his job, obviously it was the right time. It's just booking flights, hotels and all that stuff.
"Obviously, the help from Garry at Target [his darts supplier] is going to be massive. But yeah, we're going in the right direction.
"No-one knows what's been going on behind the scenes, and obviously I won't be saying anything. But it was just the right time [to split]."
Littler is next in World Grand Prix action on Thursday when he takes on reigning champion Mike De Decker in round two.
Michael van Gerwen is the highest-ranked player to already be out of the competition, losing 2-0 to Dutch compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode.
World number five James Wade is also out after a straight-sets defeat to Joe Cullen, while Cameron Menzies defeated eighth seed Chris Dobey.
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts
Ryan Smart