‘I’m getting fed up’ – Darts star in huge Luke Littler rant as he blasts state of sport

Luke Littler’s dominance in darts is being made “far too easy” by his rivals, according to former Vincent van der Voort.

The former UK Open finalist believes many of the sport’s top names are failing to perform when they face the teenage sensation, allowing Littler to continue his remarkable run at the top.

World No.1 Littler secured his fifth consecutive major title in Minehead last week, despite averaging below 100 in three of his six matches.

Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort admitted he is growing frustrated with how often Littler wins — but insists the blame does not lie with the 19-year-old.

“I’m getting a bit fed up with it now,” he said.

“But it’s not his fault. What worries me more is that the top players just don’t show up against him.

“I don’t know if they’re already thinking before the match: ‘You’ve won.’ But none of them seem to play their best against him.”

Van der Voort believes the lack of real pressure on Littler is the most concerning issue.

“You should at least feel like he’s being pushed to the limit. And if he’s still better, then fine. But right now he doesn’t even have to play that well to win.

“He really wasn’t at his best, but his opponents didn’t show up. Then in the interviews afterwards, he gets showered with compliments again.

“What we need are players who genuinely want to beat him.”

Van der Voort singled out Gerwyn Price as one of the few elite competitors with the mentality to challenge Littler.

“You end up with someone like Price — he has that edge,” he said. “He wants to win at all costs. It’s a shame he didn’t reach the final.

“We need more players like that. Players who can bring their best level against him. Otherwise it just becomes far too easy for him.”

Littler averaged 94.41 in his fourth-round win over Damon Heta before dropping slightly to 93.68 against Kevin Doets in the fifth round.

According to Van der Voort, the defending champion never truly hit top form throughout the event.

“Doets could have taken that match if things had gone differently,” he added. “He should have built a bigger lead earlier on.

“He hovered around a 90 average for a long time and eventually finished on 97, while Littler was only around 93.

“Even then he couldn’t pull away. The players have to hold themselves accountable for that.

“Littler wasn’t even brilliant in this tournament. You had the feeling he was there for the taking.

“But if everyone fails to play the game they want against him, he still wins — and that just shows how far ahead he currently is.”