LUKE HUMPHRIES has tipped Josh Rock and Luke Littler as the future of darts, declaring that the two rising stars will dominate the sport for many years to come.
The World No1, who clinched his eighth Euro Tour title with an 8-5 victory over Rock at the Czech Darts Open, has praised the next generation of players for their potential and skill.
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Humphries said: “Josh is the new generation now. Him and Luke Littler are the two who are going to dominate the sport for many, many years. But I’m going to be a part of it as well.”
Rock has shot up the PDC rankings this year and is now 11th in the world.
He reached the semi finals in both the World Matchplay and UK Open this season.
But, despite the fierce competition, Humphries is confident in his own game after a challenging few months.
The ‘Cool Hand’ admitted that winning his first title in three months was an emotional achievement, especially after a difficult period following his Premier League success.
He added: “It’s been a tough three months.
“Since winning the Premier League, it’s felt like I’ve been struggling a bit here and there. But now I feel dangerous. I feel like I’m back at my best.”
Humphries now feels ready to take on the remaining challenges of the season, including the Pro Tour and World Series Finals:
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Humphries said: “I’m going to go to the Pro Tour in top form.
“You’re at the back end of the calendar now and if I want to stay No.1 and be world champion again, I know I have to put in the effort. It all starts from now.”
The Czech crowd played a huge role in Humphries’ victory, and he was quick to thank them for their incredible support.
He said: “Sometimes, I don’t feel like I get the love I should but here I’ve felt it.
“Every game, the crowd was behind me. You don’t win three in a row at the same place for no reason.”
Humphries added that having the crowd’s backing made him feel “wanted” and gave him extra motivation to win:
He concluded: “If I could have all 14 Euro Tours in this room, I’d do it. It means everything.”
List of all-time Darts World Champions
BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included.
- 1994 – Dennis Priestley
- 1995 – Phil Taylor
- 1996 – Phil Taylor (2)
- 1997 – Phil Taylor (3)
- 1998 – Phil Taylor (4)
- 1999 – Phil Taylor (5)
- 2000 – Phil Taylor (6)
- 2001 – Phil Taylor (7)
- 2002 – Phil Taylor (8)
- 2003 – John Part
- 2004 – Phil Taylor (9)
- 2005 – Phil Taylor (10)
- 2006 – Phil Taylor (11)
- 2007 – Raymond van Barneveld
- 2008 – John Part (2)
- 2009 – Phil Taylor (12)
- 2010 – Phil Taylor (13)
- 2011 – Adrian Lewis
- 2012 – Adrian Lewis (2)
- 2013 – Phil Taylor (14)
- 2014 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2015 – Gary Anderson
- 2016 – Gary Anderson (2)
- 2017 – Michael van Gerwen (2)
- 2018 – Rob Cross
- 2019 – Michael van Gerwen (3)
- 2020 – Peter Wright
- 2021 – Gerwyn Price
- 2022 – Peter Wright (2)
- 2023 – Michael Smith
- 2024 – Luke Humphries
- 2025 – Luke Littler
Most World Titles
- 14 – Phil Taylor
- 3 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2 – John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
- 1 – Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
