Phil Taylor has revealed the two things Luke Littler needs to do to become the greatest of all time (GOAT).
Taylor, 64, is widely regarded as the GOAT by darts fans, having won 16 World Championships in a three-decade period of dominance between 1987 and 2018.
Now retired, Taylor has voiced his admiration for current PDC world champion Littler, 17, who beat Michael van Gerwen, 35, 7-3 to become the youngest PDC world darts champion on Friday evening at Alexandra Palace, London.
Advert
Littler will no doubt win more major trophies in his career, but he has a long way to go if he aims to beat Taylor’s record of winning 214 major tournaments.
However, he has already won his first World Championship at 17 while it took ‘The Power’ until he was 29 to achieve the same feat.
Previously, Taylor revealed what he would do if he coached the teenager, explaining how he “could improve Luke” with his breadth of darts knowledge.
"I couldn't do it like most people do it, I'd have to be hands-on," he told Online Darts.
"Everything would be there for you, and I'd be knocking at your door at 10 in the morning.
"Luke wouldn't be playing on his PlayStation, and I could improve Luke one hundred per cent, no trouble.”
Now, Taylor has issued some words of advice to the “brilliant” Littler.
“It’s entirely up to Luke how long he plays, how dedicated he remains and how many titles he wins,” Taylor told The Sun.
“For now, just let the kid play.
“He’s a world champion at 17 years old, the youngest to do it by a mile, and he’s just brilliant.
“When people ask how many world titles he can win, don’t forget he has all the time in the world if he wants it.
“I was nearly 30 when I won my first world championship — and Paul Lim won more than twice as much as me for hitting a nine-darter as I got for winning the whole thing.”
The Stoke-born darts legend then pinpointed two things Littler needs to do in order to stay at the top of his game.
“If I could give him one piece of advice, or one tip to help him stay at the top, it wouldn’t be anything to do with his darts or the way he navigates his way around the board,” he said.
“I would tell him shoes.
“If you’re not standing comfortably on the oche, you’re not going to hit a target the size of your little fingernail, so make sure your shoes fit perfectly — and take two or three pairs with you everywhere.
“And sleep. Make sure you get enough rest.
“I still take a mattress topper with me everywhere I go because some hotel beds are like sleeping in the middle of the road. Your darts won’t go where you want them to land if you are bleary-eyed after a restless night.”
Littler, alongside Rob Cross, Van Gerwen and Luke Humphries will be part of the Premier League Darts line-up which will be revealed at around 4:30pm on Monday.
Topics: Darts, Luke Littler, World Darts Championship
Luke Davies