The meteoric rise of Luke Littler is and remains the dominant topic in the darts scene. Nathan Aspinall is happy for the teenager and is also convinced of his success. However, “The Asp” also warns the 17-year-old not to lose his grip on the ground.
Fans, experts and even his opponents agree that Luke Littler is an absolute gift for the sport of darts. The teenager’s phenomenal run has brought the sport more headlines than perhaps ever before. Everyone benefits from the increased attention.
Nathan Aspinall is also happy about the darts fairytale. And he too is full of praise for Littler. “I trained with him before the World Cup, so I knew he was playing well. But the way he handled it exceeded my expectations. He’s a fantastic player and a lovely boy,” enthused “The Asp”. “PlanetSport” interview from the prodigy.
“He’ll be fine with the darts, but…”
What is clear is that Littler’s life changed instantly with his success at the World Cup. Aspinall estimates that the sporting part won’t cause the teenager any problems in the future, but the rest might.
“He’ll be fine with the darts. But I guess the other things might affect him. Playing darts every day won’t have a negative impact on him, but daily travel and the media might,” Aspinall said.
That’s why it’s all the more important to him that Littler doesn’t lose his grip on the ground. “As long as he doesn’t get ahead of himself and think he’s the greatest, everything will be fine,” said Aspinall, who said he doesn’t think the 17-year-old is taking off too soon.
Will the strain become a problem for Luke Littler?
A problem that Aspinall also fears for Littler is the high burden that now awaits the prodigy. Because the 17-year-old hasn’t been on the tour yet and is lagging behind in the rankings, he has to play a lot of events in order to get closer to the top 10.
“Unfortunately, he has to play almost everywhere so that he can climb in the ranking,” said Aspinall, who also believes Littler can have a mammoth program: “He has a great team around him and shouldn’t really get tired. He’s not 32 years old like us and has to take care of children when he gets home.”
Finally, Aspinall once again confirmed how valuable Littler’s rise is for the entire scene. “He’s a massive bonus for the sport. Not just for himself, but for all the players on the tour. What he brings to the tour is enormous for all of us,” enthused “The Asp”.