Luke Littler: Wayne Mardell praises Premier League champion for opening up about struggles, says he has ‘no weaknesses’ | Darts News

Sky Sports darts pundit Wayne Mardell hailed Luke Littler’s integrity and talent after his thrilling 11-10 win over Luke Humphries in the Premier League final.

Littler secured the title for the second time in three years A week after being involved in an argument with Gian van Veen in Manchester, he became emotional in an on-stage interview after discussing his underperformance at Brighton earlier in the season.

The 19-year-old was knocked out in the quarter-finals on both nights and revealed after his win in London that he was considering his future at the time after being cheered by the crowd.

Littler said: “I sat at home and said to (girlfriend) Faith, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore, just crowds every week’. I said to her, ‘I’m bad’.”

Speaking after Littler’s win over Humphries in week 17 of the competition, Mardell said the champion’s acknowledgment of his struggles was a “step forward”.

‘I have nothing but admiration for this teenager’

Mardel said Sky Sports: “There’s a lot more going on in a Premier League than week after week. It’s a rollercoaster for every player, whether you’re winning games or struggling.

“We know there are worse things to do but this is a test of endurance for a darts player. This is the culmination of all that effort and it came for Littler. He was helpless.

“No one is so strong that they don’t have doubts. He had doubts but came back. Owning it is a step forward for him. I have nothing but admiration for this teenager.

“We know how mentally strong Littler is but when you feel like you’re public enemy number one, you might think you don’t want to come back. But he came up and that’s the byproduct of coming up.

“I love his family support. His mom and dad travel everywhere, as does Faith. It’s very important.

“You’re never alone. I’m lucky I’ve never played this game by myself because it’s a lonely place when you do. I’ve seen people wanting to get away.

“But Luke has one of the best support systems in darts. It’s a family affair and he’s got a great team behind him.

“I also like the reaction (to winning the title). We want to see more of that. We don’t want to see someone win a trophy and go, ‘Oh, I won another one, so what?’ Which is amazing to see.

“Even though he’s been so successful, it still means the world.”

Merdel: Smalls have no weaknesses

Littler started the year retaining his World Championship title and went on to win the Saudi Arabia Masters, Winmow World Masters, UK Open and Poland Darts Masters before getting his hands on the Premier League trophy for the second time.

Mardell added of the world No.1: “He has faith, he knows he has the ability and somehow he finds it to keep going.

“Everybody has a point in their career when they’re at their peak. We don’t know if it’s the peak, we have no idea, but we know it’s the peak because Michael van Gerwen’s peak, Phil Taylor’s peak, was that kind of standard.

“It’s good enough every now and then. When he can run riot, he’s happy with that. When he has to fight, he’s happy with that. When it comes to last-leg decisions, he’s happy with that.

“No weaknesses. Back-to-back world champions, then Masters, then UK Open after a couple of setbacks. A couple of setbacks in the Premier League and won.

“Never beat the kid until you shake his hand and hold that trophy.”

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