Teenage star Luke Littler revealed a diet of cheese and ham omelettes and pizza has been behind his incredible journey to the World Championship final.
The 16-year-old has set the Alexandra Palace alight over the last fortnight and is the youngest ever player to reach the decider of the premier darts tournament after demolishing Rob Cross in the semi-final.
He is now on the cusp of producing one of the greatest sporting stories of all time, which would rival Emma Raducanu’s US Open win in 2021.
It is unlikely Raducanu had pizza before every match of her New York fairytale but it is working for Littler, whose love of kebabs has also been a theme of his run to the final.
“I’ll keep doing what I have been doing, I don’t wake up until 12, in the morning go for my ham and cheese omelette, come here and have my pizza, and then go on the practice board,” he said.
“It is what I have been doing every day – if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”
Littler has already proved he is the real deal but produced his biggest statement yet as he downed eighth seed Cross 6-2 in stunning fashion.
He bombarded the treble-20 for 16 180s, produced three 130-plus checkouts and averaged 106.05 in a nerveless performance.
‘The Nuke’ is trying to emulate 2018 champion Cross by lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy on debut and few would bet against him as his juggernaut looks impossible to stop – Luke Humphries the man facing that task on Wednesday.
“It’s crazy, it’s crazy to think I am in the World Championship final,” Littler said. “I was happy winning one game, but I could go all the way.
“I haven’t got the words. It’s crazy. I have just settled on that stage.
“It has not even sunk in yet. I have surprised myself.
“I have just got to stay focused and be Luke Littler. I have got to be mature and be myself.
“It would be unbelievable if I won it, I only wanted to win one match.”
He has earned celebrity status and his exploits have transcended the world of darts, already appealing to a younger generation of fans, with broadcaster Sky Sports reporting they had an 18.5 per cent share of all under-35 viewing in the UK for his New Year’s Day quarter-final win over Brendan Dolan.
Littler, who revealed he received pre-match messages from footballers Luke Shaw and Rio Ferdinand, only qualified for the tournament by winning the World Youth Championship in November and his fairytale run has put the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) under pressure to hand him a place in the forthcoming Premier League.
There is more immediate work to do, though, as his attention turns to Wednesday’s showpiece, where he will meet new world number one Humphries.
‘Cool Hand’ delivered one of the best ever performances at Alexandra Palace as he whitewashed Michael van Gerwen’s conqueror Scott Williams.
The 28-year-old came into the event as favourite after winning three of the last four major tournaments and lived up to the billing as he averaged 108.74, threw 13 180s and took out six 100-plus finishes, including the ‘big fish’ 170.
His victory saw him climb above Van Gerwen and Michael Smith to the top of the rankings.
He said: “It feels amazing, I would never have imagined myself to be world number one and I did it in style, I was really pleased with the performance.
“I have always said world number one can last a number of months, world champion is forever.”
Raducanu's win not enough as Slovakia down Great Britain
Great Britain fell short in the Billie Jean King Cup, despite Emma Raducanu's win in their semi-final against Slovakia.
Raducanu beat Viktoria Hruncakova 6-4 6-4 in the opening singles match on Tuesday.
That made the 22-year-old the British player with the highest win percentage in the competition in singles matches (minimum five matches played), with her 85.7% equalling Annabel Croft's effort.
Yet Katie Boulter was unable to keep up the momentum for Great Britain, as she went down 2-6 6-4 6-4 to Rebecca Sramkova, who has now won 18 singles matches since September. When including the Billie Jean King Cup, that is more than any other player in this span.
Boulter's defeat meant Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls were called upon in the doubles, but they were beaten in straight sets by Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova.
Slovakia have now reached the final of this competition for the second time as an independent state, having won the title in 2002.
Raducanu raring to go in 2025 as she takes pride in 'unheard of' achievement
Emma Raducanu is already excited to get going in 2025 after reflecting positively on the past 12 months.
The 22-year-old impressed for Great Britain in their Billie Jean King Cup victories over Germany and Canada last week.
Raducanu has struggled with regular injury issues since her remarkable 2021 US Open triumph, but she believes some perspective is needed.
"My assessment is, I think sometimes I need reminding," she told the WTA's official website of her 2024 campaign.
"I'm top 60 in the world and I have played less than 15 events, which is pretty unheard of, in a way.
"I have to pat myself on the back for that. I know I'm a dangerous player. I know no-one wants to pull my name in the draw.
"I take pride in that, and I'm looking forward to hopefully staying on court longer next year."
Raducanu, ranked number 58 in the world, is returning to action in Malaga after two months out with a foot injury.
She will have a part to play when Britain take on Slovenia in Wednesday's semi-finals as she looks to extend her season further.
And a bullish Raducanu intends to work hard on the court heading into the New Year, with the Australian Open fast approaching.
"I think traditionally you'd probably have a bit of a break and take a holiday or something," Raducanu said.
"But I feel like I have had four, five weeks off tennis, and I don't really need any more time off.
"If anything, I'm excited and just itching to get on the practice court, and of course seeing some of my performances this week, it just incentivises me to do more work.
"I'm really pleased with how I've fought and how I'm faring up against these top girls. I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot with my tennis right now."
Raducanu helps Great Britain reach Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals
Emma Raducanu set Great Britain on their way to the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals, as they knocked out defending champions Canada on Sunday.
Great Britain won both of their singles matches in Malaga, with Raducanu starting the day with a straight-sets victory.
She cruised through the first set before showing her mettle in the second to gain a 6-0 7-5 victory over Rebecca Marino in the early game.
Katie Boulter then secured their passage, holding off Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-4 in one hour and 42 minutes, without the need for a doubles decider.
Despite being the second lowest-ranked team, Great Britain are through to the final four without dropping a set in any of their singles matches so far.
They will face Slovakia, who beat 2022 runners-up Australia earlier on Sunday to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2013.
Like Great Britain, they triumphed in both of their singles matches, with Viktoria Hruncakova and Rebecca Sramkova coming out on top to secure the unassailable lead.
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