“Definitely,” Luke Humphries says when he considers whether he can retain the darts world championship title that changed his life after he beat Luke Littler in a memorable final at the start of this year. “I honestly believe that my time is right now and I can go back-to-back. Of course it’s easy to think it, while to do it is a lot harder. But I believe in myself and the second one is always sweeter than the first because it’s harder to do. You’re achieving greatness once you start winning multiple world championships.”
The usually understated world champion and I sit in a discreet corner of a swanky bar on the Strand in London. We’re deep into the second part of an interview that had been interrupted after 30 minutes so Humphries, Littler and Michael van Gerwen could disappear downstairs to film a segment for a new Netflix documentary. It helps that the crammed bar has finally begun to empty after a long afternoon launch of this year’s world championship, which begins on Sunday. Humphries has been on a chattering treadmill but it’s as if a weight has been lifted when he sits down again, relieved that he won’t have to face another camera or act out a scene for one last plug of the event.
“I don’t think I’ve ever spoken as much as today,” the 29-year-old says as he accepts the bedlam and hype which engulfs the once-mocked business of darts. Everything is different now and darts, especially at the world championship, is a booming enterprise. Humphries, whose low-key demeanour and steely preparation seem at odds with the roaring hoopla, shakes his head: “I’ve not stopped talking for three hours straight.”
It helps that our interview is a little different to his other media chores and that, with a chance to reflect more deeply, Humphries can also talk about anxiety and fame, working as a roofer before turning pro and his intriguing rivalry with the 17-year-old Littler.
The bookies have installed Littler as the marginal favourite but Humphries smiles when I ask him a loaded question. Does he regard himself, at least in his own head, as the real favourite? “Of course. But, really, each player should think in their mind that they are the favourite. I don’t look too much into what the bookies think because they’re going on statistics and probabilities – and there’s no probability in a world championship. I know me and Luke will be close together as the favourites and Gary [Anderson] and Mike [van Gerwen] would be a bit behind us. But it doesn’t mean any of us will win. Whoever plays the best and most consistent darts will pick up the trophy.”
Humphries suggests Littler is currently the best player in the world. But the reigning champion, who beat the prodigious teenager in the final of the Players Championship a few weeks ago, may be the mentally strongest competitor. “I think you’re right,” he says. “Statistically, he’s playing the best darts in the world. I was doing the same this time last year. At the start of the 2024 season, Michael was playing the best darts. Then it went to me, then to Luke, then back to me, and then Luke. We’re very close at the moment.”
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Van Gerwen, a three-time world champion, has been an extraordinary player for years and yet Humphries has the hex on him, having won eight of their past nine matches. “Maybe I’m more in form and he’s maybe trying too hard to beat me,” he says.
Humphries and Littler, meanwhile, have played each other 14 times this year, starting with the world final in early January. After he lost that gripping match 7-4, having been 4-2 ahead, Littler won their next six encounters. Five of those victories were by the narrowest of margins – 6-5 – while Humphries broke his losing streak to beat Littler by the same score. They then swapped 6-5 wins before Littler prevailed in the Premier League final 11-7. Humphries has since won four of their past five matches, including the last three in a row. But he trails Littler 8-6 in their head-to-head for 2024.
“I enjoy it more than any game,” he says of his battles with Littler. That fact was underlined in the Players Championship final when Humphries beat Littler 11-7. “Up to even the semi, I felt a bit flat,” Humphries says. “I wasn’t at my best. But as soon as I made it into that final I got a resurgence of energy. It’s hard not to be motivated and I usually play a higher level against a better player and that’s just as well – otherwise I wouldn’t have won.”
Was it difficult facing Littler in their January world championship final as his opponent was still only 16 and had swept through the tournament on a wave of national acclaim? “It was,” he concedes. “All the pressure was probably on my shoulders, but all the attention was on his. He had nothing to lose so it was a free hit to him in his first-ever pro tournament. So I was really happy I got the win because all them people that tuned in to watch saw me lift the trophy.”
Humphries grimaces when I ask how he might have coped as a teenager with the fame that swamps Littler. “Not as good. It’s a whirlwind and you’ve constantly got cameras around you. For someone his age it’s incredibly intimidating and he’s coped with it really well.”
There are no feelings of envy in Humphries. “He’s more recognised than me but that’s fine because I didn’t dream of being a famous person. I dreamt of being world champion – and I achieved that dream. I’m an older guy, I’ve got a family at home. That’s my priority. At the moment, he’s young and free and living the celebrity lifestyle. Fair play to him.”
Humphries insists: “I can’t be jealous of it. I can only admire him as a 17-year-old. The last time we’ve seen anything like this would maybe have been with Boris Becker – when you show no fear and fight your best under pressure.”
Has Littler changed over the past year? “No. He’s still quite a shy guy, who keeps himself to himself. I try and make an effort to speak to him more than he would do to me just because he’s still not in his comfort zone. But he’s doing an amazing job.”
It’s striking that Humphries does not try to unsettle Littler psychologically. “I’d rather be friends,” he says. “There’s nothing to dislike about him. He doesn’t say anything horrible, he’s quite placid and down-to-earth and that’s why you see a friendly atmosphere when we play. There’s no animosity as we’re privileged to be the two top players in darts. I’m winning and losing finals against him and each match between us is an event. So we’re not the best of friends but we get on well.”
Humphries prefers having had a taste of real life, while working as a roofer for six years before he turned pro in 2018, to Littler’s fame as an adolescent. “I’m glad I experienced what the real world is like when you’re working hard and getting up early and being tired. When you remember where you’ve come from, you appreciate your success all the more.”
The wild storms that have lashed Britain recently reminded Humphries of roof repair work on bitter winter days. “I miss the camaraderie with all the people we worked with, including my dad, brother and uncle,” he says. “The only thing I don’t miss is the cold early mornings – and the scary moments. I once almost fell down a drop and, if I had whacked my head, it could have been a disaster.”
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Humphries speaks openly of the anxiety that plagued him at the outset of his pro career. “When you’re going through the panic you couldn’t wait to get off the stage,” he says quietly. “I worried my future in the sport was in doubt but I managed to come back well. I still have problems with it every now and then. But I know how to control it much better than I ever did. Back then the anxious feelings were draining my mind and it becomes a spiral effect that gets worse and worse.”
He suffered heart palpitations and, he says, “you panic and think something bad’s going to happen. But it’s important that you don’t let your mind take over.”
A cardiologist convinced Humphries that his problems were psychological rather than physical. “He sat me down and said: ‘There’s nothing physically wrong with the electrical movements of your heart or your valves. Everything is working fine.’ He explained that the palpitations can be caused by your brain.”
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Humphries was transformed by “cognitive behavioural therapy which tries to get to the root cause of the anxiety. Everybody gets anxious in different ways. We found that, because I was a bit overweight, I felt anxious around other people. I thought they were looking at me and laughing. So once I lost the weight, which was a pivotal point in my career, it helped my anxiety as I blended in with the crowd. Losing weight is hard, but for me it felt really easy because I was so determined.”
Humphries doesn’t work with a sports psychologist now because, he says: “I don’t want to confuse my brain. I’ve trained it to combat the anxiety and don’t want to start confusing it with different techniques for darts. I’ve become world champion by being myself. I should be able to keep myself there.”
When was the last time he had to deal with issues of anxiety? “I did a media piece the other day with Gary Neville and Roy Keane. They’re superstars and that made me a little bit anxious. I know I’m quite a celebrity figure in darts but they’re massive sportsmen. So them moments are hard but, in the end, it went OK. They were really good to me, really polite and it wasn’t too intimidating. But you still pinch yourself that you’re in a room with greatness.”
Such humility means that Humphries is not a swaggering personality. Recognition of his talent has come slowly and so was he annoyed that, until he became world champion, he had never been invited to join the Premier League? “I was, yeah,” he says with a little laugh.
The Premier League is meant to involve the best eight darts players in the world but, even when he was ranked No 5 last year, Humphries was still ignored. “Yeah, and I’d won four European tour titles. I’d made the back end of the last four major tournaments so of course I was a bit miffed. But it worked out for the best because I ended up having a dominant year, bounced back and then finally got my debut in it this year and made the final.”
Humphries, the reigning world champion who carries his world No 1 ranking lightly, smiles again. “It made me the player I am today so maybe they were right and I was wrong at that moment. I think it’s all worked out well.”
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