Luke Littler has been criticised for his 'arrogance' by a rival as he prepares to defend his world title at Alexandra Palace.
The world number one has enjoyed remarkable success in his two World Championship appearances so far.
At just 16 he reached the final in 2024, losing to Luke Humphries, then went one better last year by defeating former world champion Michael van Gerwen to claim the title.
Since then, Littler has firmly established himself as the best player in the world, becoming just the fifth player to complete the PDC Triple Crown: the World Championship, Premier League, and World Matchplay titles.
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He heads into the upcoming World Championship in strong form, having recently won the Players Championship Finals for the first time.
One of his opponents on the road to that title was Germany's Ricardo Pietreczko, with whom Littler has a tense history.
The pair clashed after their semi-final at the Belgian Darts Open last year, with Pietreczko writing on social media: “I appreciated how he plays at his age, but I hope arrogance punishes him.”
They met again in the last 16 at Minehead, where Littler came out on top with a 10-6 win.
Although there was no repeat of the on-stage tension, Littler claimed Pietreczko had tried to unsettle him with "mind games."
Now, ahead of next month's World Championships, the German has attempted to downplay talk of ongoing tension.
“I think it was made bigger by the media than it actually was," he added.
Although he remained critical of Littler's character.
Pietreczko continued: “As far as Luke’s demeanour is concerned, I still think he comes across as a bit arrogant.
"But the way he plays, he can get away with it sometimes.”
The pair could renew their rivalry on the sport's biggest stage at the Ally Pally, but they would not meet until the semi-finals.
Littler begins his title defence against Darius Labanauskas.
Although they have never played each other before, the Englishman will expect to progress comfortably.
Labanauskas reached the quarter-finals in 2020, but was knocked out in the first round last year.
Meanwhile, Pietreczko will open his campaign against Jose de Sousa.
The two have faced each other three times, with Pietreczko winning twice, including ta 6-4 victory in their most recent meeting.
The German reached the last 16 at Ally Pally last year and will be hoping for an even better performance this year and a potential rematch with Littler.
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts
James Taylor