Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler left the world of darts after winning the World Matchplay Darts on Sunday wondering if anyone would ever come close to him again.
‘The Nuke’ took Blackpool by storm, winning the competition for the second year in a row and beating his final opponent Gerwyn Price 18-9.
Having complete control in darts competitions is nothing new. He has won every PDC major title so far in 2026, and his World Match Play performances make it very difficult to argue that he is not head and shoulders above his rivals.
His incredible performances have sparked debate about his place in the sport. Love The Darts on Sky Sports Podcast experts, former darts player Laura Turner and darts commentator Chris Murphy debate whether he is actually the most dominant sportsman in the world right now.
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Chris Murphy and Laura Turner debate whether Luke Littler has already surpassed Phil Taylor as the greatest darts player of all time.
“That’s a very difficult question: How do you measure dominance?” Murphy said. “I think darts has more major titles than any other sport, and if you win a major title, if you get back into the top four and play fairly, you get what you might call a Grand Slam title.
“He holds all the titles and is completely sweeping them all, so of course he does. I think so (he is the most dominant).”
Murphy named two other sports stars who were on the verge of giving Littler a run for his money – tennis world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and his golf peer Scottie Scheffler – but concluded that neither could touch him.
“If you look at other sports, they mentioned tennis, Sinner is probably in the conversation,” he said. “In the golf world, Scheffler has been number one for a long time, but I don’t think anyone comes close to Littler.”
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Highlights from the World Match Play final between Luke Littler and Gerwyn Price.
Turner agreed, pointing out how rare it is for two Britons to dominate the sport in both the men’s and women’s editions simultaneously.
“It’s very difficult to say he’s not the most dominant player,” Turner said. “Actually, from a women’s darts perspective, I think (Women’s World Match Play winner) Beau Greaves has been incredibly dominant. She’s just made her match play selection in Blackpool. She’s won 17 of the 24 titles, even in the qualifying process.
“She’s on a 114-game win streak. Fallon (Sherrock) averaged 102 wins to stop that run. Beau is very dominant.
“Personally, I think we are very lucky in darts. I know Beau is also on the professional tour. I can’t think of any other sport where he is dominating his way at the moment.”
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Highlights from the Women’s World Match Play final between Beau Greaves and Fallon Sherrock in Blackpool.
Does Littler rate Taylor the best player in darts?
Turner and Murphy have been impressed by Littler this month, but believe there is still plenty of time left before the teenager can call himself the greatest darts player of all time.
When asked if he was the best darts player of all time, Murphy replied: “No. I think we need to zoom out a bit here. Do I think I have a chance of being the best? Maybe, but I don’t think I’m that close yet to be honest.”
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Following his World Match Play final victory over Gerwyn Price, Luke Littler says he wants to become the best darts player of all time and admits he is chasing the feat of winning every major darts title in a year.
“That’s not a criticism of his ability and talent, it’s just simple math. Phil Taylor has won 16 world titles across four generations of darts players, and he has had to reinvent himself for different games in different eras.”
Taylor, who retired in 2018, holds the record for most world titles in darts. Meanwhile, Littler has two players winning the PDC World Darts Championship in 2025 and 2026 after an explosive performance in 2024.
Laura agrees that Littler has a way to surpass Taylor, adding: “We all suffer from recency bias, forgetting that not many people were involved in darts to the level they were before Luke Littler came onto the scene.
Darts icon Phil Taylor has been Luke Littler’s idol since childhood.
“Ultimately, Phil has played across generations. I don’t want to say psychological warfare, but he knows he can get inside people a little more.
“Ability wise and all the accolades he has earned over the years, I have to say that Phil is the best darts player we have ever had.
“Luke Littler is probably one of the most dominant sportsmen today.”
Who will be the winner of this year’s Boyle Sports World Grand Prix? World number one Luke Littler will defend his title and you can watch all the action on Sky Sports. Stream darts and other top sports with NOW.
