World Matchplay Darts 2025: Luke Littler Reveals Who Really Has the Strongest Mentality in Darts

Reigning world champion Luke Littler pulled off what could be the greatest comeback of his career so far, battling from 7-2 down to beat Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena 13-11 in a sudden-death thriller at the 2025 Betfred World Matchplay.

The dramatic win sees Littler reach the quarterfinals in Blackpool for the first time, as he continues his bid to complete the PDC Triple Crown and add the Phil Taylor Trophy to the World Championship and Premier League titles already in his Warrington trophy cabinet.

“I’m the world champion for a reason”

At 7-2 down, the 18-year-old looked finished. 

Wattimena was playing arguably the best darts of his life. But Littler sparked a relentless comeback, showcasing the grit and determination that’s fast becoming his trademark.

After the emotional win, Littler pointed at the new star stitched into the bottom left of his shirt, a symbol of his world champion status.

“It was me saying to myself and the fans, I’m the world champion for a reason.”

“I pulled it out of the bag”

Littler would always rather win with a dominant display, as he did in his first-round demolition of Ryan Searle. But when pushed to the brink, he proved once again he can grind it out with the best.

“We can come back and for myself I always find these gears from somewhere. I’d rather be lasting off into the lead like I did against Ryan Searle, but it wasn’t to be, and I pulled it out of the bag.”

“You’ve got to win this leg”

The teenager admitted he had to silence the negative thoughts creeping in as the deficit grew. At 7-2 down, he gave himself an ultimatum: win the next leg, or the match could be gone.

“Yeah, I think it was at seven-two, I said to myself, you've got to win this leg, otherwise it's going to be so hard to come back.”

“And then obviously it hits it obviously said I'm still here. And then went on to win the next five legs, was in the lead for the first time in the game and then from there onwards it was just great darts.”

“Nathan Aspinall has the best mentality”

Such a comeback would be hailed as a display of elite mental strength—but Littler was quick to shift the spotlight to someone else: his friend and Target teammate Nathan Aspinall.

“I wouldn’t say so. I think one of the best players with the best mentality is Nathan Aspinall. If he’s five, six legs down, he’s going to find a way to come back,” he told SportsBoom.co.uk.

Littler even admitted he had to draw on Aspinall’s attitude to drag himself over the line.

“I know Nathan so well and he never gives up. He’ll always try till the end. But for myself I just said, you’ve got to find something here, you’ve got to pull it out of the bag.”

Quarterfinal Bound, Triple Crown in Sight

With his eyes on the Matchplay crown and the Triple Crown dream alive, the 18-year-old has already shown that he's more than just a teenage sensation—he’s a world champion who can dig deep when it matters most.