Luke Littler’s emergence into the PDC elite at the World Darts Championship in 2023 at the age of 16 led many to speculate about The Nuke’s potential as an all-time great.
The teenager has shown immense talent at such an early age, but he’s also impressed with his mentality and the way he’s dealt with fame.
With a potential three to four decades left of his career, many have wondered whether Luke Littler would dethrone Phil Taylor’s once-unattainable record of 16 World Darts Championship wins.
The 17-year-old has waded into the debate that has rumbled for much of 2024.
Luke Littler doubts dethroning Phil Taylor’s record
From 1995 to 2013, Taylor won every World Darts Championship bar five in an astonishing run in which he was near-unbeatable.
It’s a testament to Littler’s talents that he’s been put in the conversation to beat it potentially, but The Nuke has squashed ideas that he believes he has what it takes.
Talking to Hawksbee and Jacobs Daily, Littler said: “Yeah, people are going on. Been talking about Phil Taylor’s record of 16 world titles, and that is a lot to beat.
So if I’m in the game for long enough, maybe. But I can’t see myself winning 16.”
Littler has won the Grand Slam of Darts, the Premier League, and the World Series of Darts Finals in his debut year in the PDC.
The Nuke is set to play either Fallon Sherrock or Ryan Meikle in the second round of the World Darts Championship.
Littler has time on his hands – but the field has never been more competitive
At just 17 years old, Littler should have the opportunity to play in at least thirty World Darts Championship events.
With his talents, he has every chance to give Taylor’s record a good crack, but the depth of quality on the PDC is demonstrably stronger than it was in the 16-time champion’s era.
That’s been no more evident than with the amount of first-time major winners on the 2024 PDC Tour, with Mike De Decker, Ritchie Edhouse, and Littler all claiming their first big titles.
With the likes of Gian Van Veen, Josh Rock, and Wessel Nijman consistently knocking at the door, it’s extremely unlikely Littler will achieve the unachievable.