Luke Humphries says media put ‘too much pressure’ on Luke Littler

'I'll always be there to support him'

Humphries and Littler have developed a strong friendship since the pair faced each other in the final of the World Championship back in January.

Then-16-year-old Littler was beaten by Humphries but has since gone on to win the Premier League.

Recently, Littler has experienced a dip in form as he was beaten by Michael van Gerwen in his first round clash at the World Matchplay.

Humphries offered the youngster some words of encouragement following that defeat in a private chat and has no doubt that Littler will comeback stronger than ever.

Speaking after his second-round victory over Stephen Bunting Humphries said: “Luke came in today and we had a little chat. I won’t tell you everything we said, but we’re good friends.

“Did he really play that bad? A 101 average? I just think so many people put so much pressure on him. It’s more the media, the papers, they put so much pressure on him.

“People at home say he’s not good enough anymore. He’s had a couple of bad games. I’ve had a couple of bad games this year. I’ve had many bad games.

“He’s not playing bad, he just maybe felt the pressure of the situation. But I can assure you, he’s going to win many, many major titles.”

Humphries went on to remind the press of the credentials of the man he played. He said: “I think we forget who he [Littler] played as well. He didn’t play some random person, he played one of the greatest darts players in the world.”

Van Gerwen was the world number 1 from 2014 to 2021 and is a three-time PDC World Champion.

“If he’d have played any other player, he might have won. That’s the unfortunate thing about darts, no one is unbeatable. Michael said it yesterday, we are definitely all beatable.

“He’ll bounce back and it wouldn’t surprise me if he goes on and wins one of the next three majors. He’s a fantastic player. I just think the pressure people put on him is just too much sometimes. I’ll always be there to support him, as a shoulder for him to speak to.”