World champion Luke Humphries feels “refreshed and ready to go again” after making the most of his longest time at home for 15 months.
A year ago, Humphries was in the form of his life – winning the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals all in a two-month span – on his way to claiming a first world title at the Alexandra Palace to start 2024.
While he added the World Matchplay to his trophy haul this summer, Humphries was beaten in the final of the World Grand Prix by Mike De Decker and then suffered a shock group stage exit in his Grand Slam defence as teenage superstar Luke Littler ultimately claimed his first TV ranking title.
The pair have battled it out on more than one occasion in 2024, most memorably in the 2024 World Darts Championship Final and weekly in the early part of the year in the Premier League.
It meant that, despite his early Grand Slam exit, Humphries was happy for a rare break away from the game, allowing him time to refocus ahead of the World Championships, which begin on December 15.
“I am back with some really good feelings, after obviously not being in the knockout stages of the Grand Slam,” Humphries said in an interview with PDC media.
“Unfortunately you can’t win everything, sometimes you have to accept an early defeat will happen in major tournaments.
“I would have loved to have been there in the final and right until the end, but it was a blessing in disguise in a way. It is probably the longest break I have had at home for the last 15 months.
“I have really enjoyed it and got to spend some more time with my son, who doesn’t get to see his dad as much, so I fully embraced the time at home.
“It has been a blur over the last 15 months when you are playing week in and week out every day.
“I didn’t pick the darts up for a full week. I put them down and thought ‘no, I am just going to take a good break from it’. Now I am refreshed and ready to go again.”
Humphries is next in action on Friday when beginning the defence of his Players Championship Finals title against Germany’s Gabriel Clemens in Minehead.
Last year’s runner-up Michael van Gerwen, a record seven-time winner of the event, starts against Ian White, while Littler faces former world champion Rob Cross.
Chris Dobey is the event’s top seed after winning three Players Championship titles this year and takes on Nathan Aspinall in the opening round.
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