The future of darts is in very safe hands at the moment.
In some instances, darts players don’t peak until their late 30s or early 40s, but some of the best players in the world right now are in their 20s.
Luke Humphries is only 29 and he’s achieved almost everything there is to achieve in the game. Gian van Veen looks like a future star, then, of course, there’s the prodigious rise of Luke Littler.
At the age of just 17, Littler looks like he dominate the game for the next 30 years, but as in any sport, he’ll have his challengers in the years to come.
Wessel Nijman has been tipped as a potential world champion after his incredible form at the Grand Slam of Darts.
Nijman was on fire at the Grand Slam, averaging over 107 for the tournament despite the fact he didn’t win a single game.
| Wessel Nijman at the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts | Average |
| 5-4 loss to Stephen Bunting | 106.51 |
| 5-3 loss to Josh Rock | 105.39 |
| 5-4 loss to Gian van Veen | 111.10 |
| Tournament average | 107.70 |
Nijman may not have won a game in Wolverhampton, but he made a serious impression, and speaking on ITV during the coverage of the Players Championship Finals, Dan Dawson has tipped the young Dutchman to be one of Luke Littler’s biggest rivals in the coming years.
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Wessel Nijman could cause Luke Littler problems
Dawson spoke about how far Nijman could go in the game.
The pundit claimed that Nijman could be right up there alongside Littler as the future of darts.
“He’s already won a title this year. The level of performances he has shown. He played the development tour last year and he regularly beat Luke Littler, not just one or two, he regularly beat Luke Littler. We’re looking into the future here, but if Littler is going to be a star of this sport for many years, Wessel Nijman could be right there alongside him”
Wessel Nijman’s record vs Luke Littler
As Dawson says, Nijman has a remarkable record against Littler.
Littler is arguably the best player in the world right now, but he’s lost six of the eight games he’s ever played against Nijman on the Development Tour and the Pro Tour.
Of course, Littler wasn’t the player he is today when he was playing on the Development Tour, but even in this year, they have a level record, with Nijman leading the aggregate leg score 12-11.
Littler did beat Nijman in a floor final in their last meeting, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw these two meet in a few major finals in the coming years.
Littler is on a high after winning the Grand Slam, but with an incredible tournament average, Nijman was arguably the breakout star of that event.