Luke Littler said he can feel the “tension” among his rivals in the face of his growing success as he continues his quest for a first World Darts Championship crown.
Littler emerged as one of the faces of the sport with a meteoric rise that saw him finish second on his debut at Ally Pally before winning the Premier League, World Darts Championship Finals and the Grand Slam of Darts.
He also recently finished second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year behind Olympic 800m champion Kelly Hodgkinson, such is his impact on darts' fame in 2024.
Is the rushing world jealous of the 17-year-old?
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John Bart says Littler is unbeatable at this year's World Darts Championships despite his natural talent and showing determination to win the deciding set against Joyce
“I don't know. I'd probably say some guys show it, especially on the pro tour,” Littler said.
“But I saw the Scott Williams interview – he's getting sponsorship opportunities, and people are asking him because of me. So it's good to see what I've done, especially for the players and any sponsors they can get.”
Littler survived Monday night's odyssey to beat Ryan Joyce 4-3 and punch his ticket to the quarter-finals as he bids for a better result than last year's defeat to Luke Humphries in the final.
He is now the highest-ranked player in the competition, arriving with high expectations as one of the favorites to emerge as champion. Now he could smile if he heard any side remarks.
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Littler will face Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals after defeating Joyce 4-3
“It's definitely not in my face,” Littler added. “Not once I walk in, but when I'm training, I can feel that tension. And I just laugh about it.”
Littler awaits in the quarter-finals a meeting with Nathan Aspinall, who beat Ricardo Petrichko 4-0 with an average of 94.28 after scoring 10 legs in a row.
“It's going to be tough,” Littler said. “But I won most of them. Nathan only beat me once. It's good to get wins over Nathan. But it's a world championship quarter-final and anyone can win that day.”
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Aspinall said he had shown “no respect” and had to keep proving himself
Littler admitted he was unlikely to speak to Aspinall during the build-up, stressing the importance of putting friendships aside.
“Maybe not. We'll just keep ourselves to ourselves,” he said. “Obviously he'll be celebrating the New Year with his family and his two daughters, and obviously I'll be celebrating with my mum and dad.
“You just have to go into each game the way you would either way if you were playing with your best friend or someone you don't really like. You just have to overcome what's in front of you.”
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