Luke Humphries will begin his title defence at the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts later this week as he’s been drawn into Group A with James Wade, Mickey Mansell and Rowby-John Rodriguez. After a dominant year in darts, Humphries believes his hard work and love of the game has separated him from other players.
Luke Humphries has had one of the most dominant periods in darts since the likes of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.
After winning the 2023 World Grand Prix, Humprhies would go on to reach (and win) several PDC major finals including:
- Grand Slam of Darts (won)
- Players Championship Finals (won)
- World Darts Championship (won)
- UK Open (runner-up)
- Premier League of Darts (runner-up)
- World Matchplay (won)
- World Cup of Darts (won)
- 2024 World Grand Prix (runner-up)
Humphries will begin his title defence at the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts starting Saturday 7th November in an opening tie against Rowby-John Rodriguez as he looks to maintain this elite run for as long as possible.
As we mentioned, few players have ever had such a run of dominance as Humphries has experienced and the world number 1 believes that this isn’t just luck.
There are a few key areas that Humphries believes separates him from the majority of professional darts players…
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Luke Humphries Reveals Why He’s Been Able to Dominate Darts for the Last 12 Months
Speaking to talkSPORT ahead of the Grand Slam of Darts, Humphries was asked about his 2024 season and if he believes his success has been due to anything in particular or if it’s just a case of doing what he’s been doing.
To which Humprhies responded:
“I’m doing what I’m doing but I’m also so dedicated to the sport.
“I work incredibly hard, practise hard, I live a very healthy lifestyle – as much as I can anyway.
“With all the travelling we do, it’s important that you keep your energy levels up because a lot of people don’t understand, darts does take it out of you mentally and physically.
“You’re away all the time, it’s important that those energy levels are up and I think that’s a catalyst to where I am today. You know, it’s keeping the energy levels up and working hard.
“My dedication to the game does separate me from the lower ranked players, I think I put more of the hard work in.
“I do a lot of exhibitions and stuff like that so yeah, I just love playing the game to be honest and that’s another key as well.
The dedication to the sports (hard work) combined with a genuine love for the game is the key combination Humprhies believes has allowed him to take his game to the next level and dominate darts.
This doesn’t appear to be an on-the-spot response either.
Last month Humphries spoke about how the PDC schedule “takes its toll” on the top darts players that are in almost every competition.
See more: “It takes its toll on you” – Luke Humphries on GRUELLING darts schedule
It’s clear that when Humphries lost weight and got into better physical shape, his overall game improved and laid a foundation for his success.
When Humprhies talks about hard work, it’s not just putting hours in practising which is what you’d assume would make a best player but doing EVERYTHING required to be the best player and ambassador for the sport.
With his mindset and ability, it’s hard to see anyone knocking him off top spot in the near future!
Watch his full interview below:
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