Luke Humphries has been in a tough run of form recently, failing to win a Premier League night since week 4 of the competition.

Humphries told Sky Sports at the International Darts Open in Germany:

“I feel a bit emotionless, I feel like I’m up here and my emotions are all over the place.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be here, it just seems a chore for me at the moment. I’m playing too much.

“I need to give something away, I need a break. It’s not good for my mental state.”

This interview then resulted in backlash towards the world number one on social media, with many saying that he shouldn’t complain due to the amount of money he is earning.

Humphries then responded to the criticism on X:

Multiple darts stars came out to support Humphries after he expressed his feelings.

Sky Sports pundit Mark Webster said:

“I think Humphries is just expressing his feelings and obviously the comebacks will be, ‘Oh, you’re earning this, you’re world number one’ – it’s part of the game, but it still doesn’t mean that you can’t have little ruts where you don’t feel like playing.”

Whilst World Champion Luke Littler told Sky Sports:

“It’s tough, especially when these players go over to the likes of Riesa, you’ve got to get trains, you’ve got to get direct flights, connecting flights, and then you’re back home.

“But I think Luke, I think he knows now he has to balance his schedule. Just like myself, just focus on the Premier League.”

 

The mental side of darts is an important part of the sport and was discussed last year in the documentary ‘Beyond the Oche’ which was aired during last year’s Mental Health Week. This also featured Luke Humphries.

With more players discussing these issues it may show the public that Darts is much more than throwing arrows at a board.

(Featured image courtesy of Alamy Images)

 

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