‘I think it’s quite rude’ – James Wade blasts Luke vs Luke World Darts final talk with 12 players capable of winning
JAMES WADE reckons it is “quite rude” to keep banging on about a potential Luke versus Luke World Darts Championship final.
But then the Machine is quick to be rude about himself, claiming he is an “underachiever” and an “awkward” sod.
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James Wade believes Luke Littler and Luke Humphries World Darts final talk is ‘rude’Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
He reckons at least 12 other players are capable of winning the tournamentCredit: Getty
Three PDC televised major finals this year have pitted the world’s top two, Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, against each other.
Those two have been above everybody else on the oche in 2025 and they appear to be on collision course for the £1million showdown on January 3, 2026.
Yet according to Wade, there are dozens more players who are eyeing up the record prize money.
Wade, 42, said: “I don’t know if it’s because players run with their tail between their legs whenever they play them.
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“I think it’s clear that Luke and Luke are the two best players in the world. That’s not hard to work out and they’re both playing the best darts.
“But I think it’s quite rude to the other darts players to say: ‘Oh, it’s going to be Luke and Luke.’
“I don’t think they roll over on purpose. Luke Littler’s got, I keep hearing, these big finishes he’s taking out.
“Especially what he did against Gezzy Price. Gezzy was on some real important shots and Luke took out 152 and 141, and he’s doing that a lot at the moment.
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“You can’t keep doing them all the time. You do have bad moments.
“So I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s not them in the final. But I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s not both of them in the final.
“I think there’s some really good dart players out there and past champions have had a lot of luck in the early first or second rounds.
“It’s a long tournament. They’re both clearly the best players in the world at the moment and a lot of players say they’re not frightened to play Luke.
“But I think they are because you get players that are on their game at that time as well and then they don’t turn up. Or they really fluster against Luke.”
Wade – who is bipolar and has been diagnosed with ADHD – reckons he has struggled to gain proper recognition, despite being the third most decorated player in the PDC’s history.
The 11-time major winner claimed a former Sky Sports producer “never liked me” and this meant less airtime and fewer interviews, which “probably cost me a lot of money over the years”.
Wade, though, is his own worst critic and despite four semi-final appearances at Ally Pally, he feels he has yet to show his true class on that stage.
The Aldershot ace, a father of two, said: “I’m an underachiever. I should have won loads more things. Should have done loads more stuff so far.
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“If I would have been in a good place, I would have done a lot more.
“I’m on about 30 to 35 finals I’ve lost. I remember them all.
“They probably would have gone differently if I’d have been in a bit of a different place.
“Almost 50 per cent of the times I’ve turned up, I’ve been in a fairly decent place, but I just seem to play poor there.
“I feel much more relaxed this year about darts in general, but maybe I’ve put a lot of weight or pressure on myself. I don’t know.
“I’m obviously not a fashionable darts player, and that frustrates me a little bit.
“That people just go on about other players and you just get completely overlooked and that’s a little bit of frustration.
“I’m awkward and I don’t mean to be awkward, I just am. I’m less awkward, but I’m still awkward.
“I don’t mean to be, but it’s just how I am, unfortunately. But I am better than I once was. I try not to be.”
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