Luke Littler has informed the PDC that he has withdrawn from this weekend’s European Darts Open in Leverkusen.
The Premier League Champion returned to action last week by lifting the Polish Darts Masters after taking a holiday in Florida.
It’s not the first event Littler has pulled out of this year, and he opted not to play in the Nordic Darts Masters earlier this month.
The teenager has previously spoken about his schedule and his need to take time off to avoid burnout.
Luke Littler reveals safety net of ranking allows him to skip events
The PDC’s ranking system is a two-year rolling order of merit.
The 17-year-old has only been a professional for six months so has been playing catch-up on everyone else.
Despite this, he has won three ranking titles and earned over £300k in ranking money which has qualified him for every tournament this year.
His achievements in the first half of the year has given the Warrington superstar freedom in choosing events.
He told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour: “I can pick and choose what I want to play now because my ranking is this good.
“I have qualified for almost every event. I’m just picking and choosing. If I’m not up for it and the travel is killing me off, I’ll just have a week off.”
Littler is smart to manage his schedule
The darts calendar can be hectic and more so for ‘The Nuke’.
He competed in 17 weeks of the Premier League as well as Euro Tours, Players Championships and qualifiers.
Combined with World Series events, media appearances and the travel it all entails, life has been full-on for Littler.
The second half of the year is the business end for darts with five ranking majors prior to the World Championship, and taking time off is key to ensure energy reserves are not depleted.
Littler will also be absent from the World Cup next week as Luke Humphries and Michael Smith fly the flag for England, so the youngster will be fresh heading into the World Matchplay next month.