Legend John Part says teenager Luke Littler has to live with “rustic” levels of stress as he tries to win the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
Littler came within millimeters of the nine-dart finish when he beat Ryan Meikle in unprecedented fashion on Saturday night.
The 17-year-old was back on stage 12 months on from his incredible run to the final and showed everyone why he is favorite to win the title this year.
Littler was a breath away from darting perfection when he missed 12 doubles but they threw an incredible average of 140.91 in the final set to win 3-1.
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The teenager claimed the final set against Meikle in just 32 darts to progress to the third round
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Littler explains his 3-1 win over Ryan Meikle in his World Darts opener
That is the record for the highest average in a single set at the world championships as the Warrington ace continues to break barriers.
The victory was extremely emotional for Littler, who cut short his on-stage interview shortly after breaking down in tears.
“I don't think anyone understands how much pressure he's under,” said Part Sky Sports. “There may be a number of people playing the game who could understand it, but certainly no one has had to deal with it at their age.
“Just the tremendous demands on his time and any chance he won't perform, I think there's a lot of pressure on him. I'm sure there is so much relief for him.
“I'm sure he's disappointed about missing nine, but I don't think that has anything to do with the announcement at the end. I think he is healthy enough.
“You have a lot of emotion there, and you have to control that while you're playing. That's why he's a winner. You know what, if he has to have some time for him himself afterwards, that's fine.”
Littler arrived at the tournament as the biggest name in the sport and 'The Nuke' booked a return to Ally Pally after Christmas against Ritchie Edhouse or Ian White in the third round.
“He's been having fun, maybe going to all these new places, playing these tournaments he hasn't played before, winning a lot of them, playing a lot of games,” continued Part. “If you like playing darts, it's fun to play a lot of games.
“He's had a great time, but I think the whole truth about what he did for the game that started at the World Championship last year has fallen after he won.
“It's great that it wasn't after a loss, because it wouldn't even seem fair after everything he did for the game.
“It occurred to me watching Luke that none of his experiences playing games last year is helping him, I don't think, because I think he's a completely in-between player It's different now. He has different expectations of himself and his opponents, what they are going to do against him.
“There was something strange last year, playing 16-years-old at the time and players didn't know what to do. 'Will I be embarrassed if I lose, maybe?' Such old-fashioned ideas, aren't they?
“He's the god of darts in the eyes of a lot of people that they've been waiting for. That's so much to live for. I just think this is the first experience of his professional career at world championships.
“The levels of expectation, the level of pressure he has to live with. He won't go away, he will every time he plays, but he will get in shape, I'm sure.”
Watch the World Darts Championship on Sky Sports
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