Phil Taylor: Luke Littler could walk away from darts unless fans pack it in

Phil Taylor has admitted he ‘felt sorry’ for Luke Littler after his emotional Premier League Darts triumph.

The world No.1 broke down in tears on stage after beating Luke Humphries in last week’s final.

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Littler had to be consoled by his opponent as his post-match interview was cut short.

It came after he had revealed he considered pulling out of the tournament over fan abuse.

The 19-year-old had been heckled and booed by the crowd at several events throughout this year’s Premier League.

Littler warning

Taylor now believes Littler could walk away from darts if the abuse continues from fans.

The 16-time world champion added that he was ‘glad’ to retire when he did due to the obscenities aimed at players during matches.

After 31 years as a professional, Taylor retired in 2018 aged 58.

The darts legend joined talkSPORT’s Hawksbee & Baker on Thursday, where he was asked about Littler’s emotional interview.

He revealed he was left feeling sympathy for the teenager having experienced similar situations throughout his illustrious career.

Taylor explained: “I felt for him, felt sorry for him. It’s not nice.

“When you’re up there and people are calling you all the names under the sun, which they do, it is abuse, it’s not right. We’re there to entertain.

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“I was glad to get away from darts in the end. I was 58-years-old and I’d had enough.

“Barry (Hearn) said, ‘Do you want to have a couple of years?’ I said, ‘No, I’ve had enough now, I want to have a peaceful life.’

“I think it’s great now because it’s nice and peaceful. I love my life now but when you’re up there week in and week out it is hard to shake off people calling you obscenities week in and week out.

“I know you’re getting well paid for it but it still does affect you. At the same time, be careful what you wish for because every silver cloud is always a little bit of grey lining with it.

“So you have to be careful and it’s just something now that he’s got to get used to. He’ll either get used to it or he’ll walk away from it.”

When does Littler play next?

Littler’s latest Premier League triumph took his tally of PDC premier titles to 13, including back-to-back PDC World Darts Championships.

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The only major event the Nuke is yet to win is the European Championship.

Meanwhile, he could also add the Nordic Darts Masters to his trophy cabinet in Copenhagen this weekend.

It comes ahead of next week’s World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt, Germany.

Littler will once again partner Humphries as the top seeds as they aim to avenge their shock exit at last year’s tournament.