Emma Raducanu has issued words of advice to the darting sensation Luke Littler (Picture: Images)
Emma Raducanu has warned 16-year-old darts sensation Luke Littler to be careful with who he surrounds himself after his phenomenal run to reach the final of the World Darts Championship.
Littler, who was making his maiden appearance in the tournament, was rendered an overnight sensation as he became the youngest finalist in the competition’s history.
The teenager was ultimately bested in the final by World No.1 Luke Humphries but has now become one of the most recognisable figures in the sport.
In many ways, his journey mirrors that of Raducanu, who became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era when she won the US Open in 2021 aged just 18.
Raducanu struggled with the new-found fame and expectation, cycling through a number of coaches before bad form, coupled with injuries, saw her drop to 299th in the world ranking.
The 21-year-old is now set to make her Grand Slam return at the Australian Open after missing eight months with injury and offered some words of advice to the darting youngster.
‘Keep your circle close, take time to actually enjoy it and don’t rush into the next thing straight away,’ the Brit said.
Luke Littler finished runner-up in the World Darts Championship aged just 16 (Picture: Getty)
‘Reflecting on the past, I think people are very important,’ she continued.
‘Surrounding yourself with competent and knowledgeable people is of course really important, but also the type of person and their character is big-time, just making sure we really get on and the intentions are really good.’
Raducanu, who has reunited with former childhood coach Nick Cavaday ahead of the tournament, raised concerns about her fitness when she withdrew from two exhibition matches in Melbourne.
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The Brit moved to allay such fears but said it would still take time until she was back to her physical best.
‘I did a lot of good work in the off-season. But I think that regardless of how good I may feel on the court on a particular day or in practice, to get that level of consistency is going to require more time,’ she said.
‘I’ve been doing the right work, doing it consistently. I just need to keep going more and more. But, yeah, I feel good on the court and in the gym.’
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She’s been there before.
