James Wade has suggested that Luke Littler’s on-stage emotions and his recent admission that he considered quitting darts are likely down to the constant media scrutiny he faces. Speaking during his return to the World Series at the Nordic Darts Masters, which was won by Michael van Gerwen on Saturday, Wade said Littler could eclipse Phil Taylor but questioned whether the current World Champion wants it enough.
“I would say Luke, at the moment, is probably the second-best player that has ever walked the planet,” said Wade. “He has been doing it for a couple of years, which is not long to be doing it. Don’t get me wrong, he is pulled from pillar to post a lot. I’m not sure how much he wants to do it. That’s what I feel with Luke. If he wants to, he can go and win everything and do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, because he is that good. If he keeps going, he is going to be the best player ever. But I’m not sure he really wants to do it so much. Maybe it’s because he has done it all. He has completed it all already, hasn’t he?”
Wade referenced Littler’s words after winning the Premier League Darts this year, when Littler cried on stage and admitted to his girlfriend Faith that he was on the verge of walking away following the Van Veen incident. Wade, who is open about his own emotions on stage, believes the exhaustion comes from off-stage demands. “I was surprised when he said he doesn’t want to do it and that he was really tired of it all. I would say, for him, it is not the darts; it is the media side of things because he is pulled all over the place all the time. That is probably what is exhausting him, not the darts.”
Littler has already won most major titles in darts, with only a few remaining including next week’s World Cup of Darts. Wade believes Littler could achieve everything he wants, but only if he stays in the sport — which is easier said than done given the attention he receives and whether he can handle it.
