Luke Littler has the world number one spot firmly in his sights as he prepares for his defence of the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts title.
Littler has experienced an incredible 12-month spell since his Grand Slam of Darts victory last year, which has propelled him to within touching distance of the world number one spot.
The World Champion is less than £75,000 adrift of current world number one Luke Humphries, and will overtake his namesake if he retains his title in Wolverhampton.
Despite his 10-7 defeat to James Wade in Round Two of the European Championship, the 18-year-old comes into the Grand Slam in imperious form, claiming a hat-trick of Premier titles since his Alexandra Palace heroics.
“Until I get that world number one spot, I will never call myself the best player in the world,” said Littler, who would become the youngest ever world number one if he goes back-to-back in Wolverhampton.
“I don’t want to think about it too much, but I know I could be world number one before the World Championship.
“I’ve just got to keep plugging away and keep producing my best darts.”
Littler demolished Martin Lukeman 16-3 to breeze to his maiden Grand Slam title in Wolverhampton last year, and since then has won the World Championship, UK Open, World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix.
The Warrington wonderkid has yet to lose at this tournament, topping last year’s round-robin phase with victories over Dimitri Van den Bergh, Keane Barry and Lourence Ilagan on his Grand Slam debut.
Littler then averaged over 103 in his triumphs over Mike De Decker, Jermaine Wattimena, Gary Anderson and finally Lukeman in the knockout stages.
He will mark his return to the West Midlands as the headline act in Group E, where he will take on Daryl Gurney, Connor Scutt and Karel Sedlacek for a place in the last 16.
"I've won it before so I know how to win it, and I'm in really good form at the minute,” continued Littler.
“Darts nowadays - you can lose against anybody, wherever they are ranked in the world. That’s how the game is evolving.”
Littler’s feats in 2025 are nothing short of historic, after he became only the second player after Phil Taylor to win the World Championship, UK Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix in the same calendar year.
“It sounds unbelievable to say, but it just goes to show how well I’ve played this year,” admitted the reigning champion.
“It has always been my dream to put my name on every trophy, but hopefully I can add on to it and become a double or triple-champion!”
The 2025 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts will take place from November 8-16, as a star-studded 32-player field compete for the £150,000 top prize and the coveted Eric Bristow Trophy.
The 2025 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).