‘I dont like how darts stars act around Luke Littler – the same happened with Van Gerwen’ – Warns Van der Voort
Luke Littler’s extraordinary rise in world darts is continuing to rattle the sport — and according to Vincent van der Voort, some of his rivals are already defeated before a dart is even thrown.
The 18-year-old sensation, who is already a world champion and currently sits second in the global rankings behind Luke Humphries, added yet another major title to his name earlier this month with a commanding triumph at the BoyleSports World Grand Prix in Leicester.
Littler stormed through the tournament with trademark swagger, brushing past Gian van Veen, Mike De Decker, Gerwyn Price, and Jonny Clayton before dismantling Humphries 6–1 in the final. The victory not only reaffirmed his dominance but also pushed him one step closer to becoming the world’s No.1.
Yet not everyone is celebrating his reign of form. Dutch veteran Vincent van der Voort, never short of an opinion, believes some of Littler’s peers have become “too respectful” — even starstruck — when facing him on stage.
“Not everyone’s scared of him, but plenty are,” Van der Voort told Online Darts. “I said it after the Worlds — too many top players act like fanboys instead of opponents. Littler’s fantastic, sure, but you still have to believe you can beat him. Don’t just stand there giving him praise.”
Van der Voort drew comparisons with the eras of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, both of whom dominated to the point where competitors seemed mentally beaten before matches even began.
“It happened with Taylor, and then with Van Gerwen,” he said. “You get one dominant player, and suddenly the rest lose that edge. Darts is in a great place right now, but if everyone keeps bowing to Littler’s brilliance, it’ll become too predictable.”
The Dutchman even suggested that Gerwyn Price should have beaten Littler at the Grand Prix, calling it a missed opportunity that might embolden the young Englishman even more.
“Price had him there for the taking, but let it slip. And now the next guy has an even tougher job. Someone needs to break that pattern and show he’s beatable.”
Despite his criticism, Van der Voort was full of respect for Littler’s consistency and composure, admitting that his mentality mirrors that of Van Gerwen during his early years.
“It’s impressive how often he wins, but darts thrives on competition. The others have to unsettle him, get in his head somehow — otherwise, he’ll just run away with everything.”
Van der Voort, who witnessed Van Gerwen’s meteoric rise up close, sees clear parallels between the two prodigies.
“When you’re winning constantly, confidence builds naturally,” he added. “I saw that with Michael — his belief was untouchable. Every match was just another person to beat. Littler’s in that zone right now.
“Eventually, he’ll face setbacks — that’s when we’ll see how mentally strong he really is. But at the moment, you need to play unbelievably well just to get close.”
Littler’s dominance has redefined the current PDC landscape. At just 18, he’s already showing the poise, consistency, and killer instinct of a seasoned champion — and if his rivals can’t overcome their fear factor soon, darts may be entering a new era of one-man rule.
