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Wayne Mardle believes darts players will continue to be jealous of Luke Littler because they don’t like that he is better than them.
Mardle also says fellow professionals are not able to unsettle Littler on the oche, admitting the 17-year-old’s temperament is ‘rattling’ to his opponents.
Littler won his third tournament last Sunday since bursting onto the scene at the World Darts Championship at the end of 2023.
He hit a nine-darter on his way to beating Rob Cross in the final of the Belgian Darts Open in another stunning display from the youngster.
Luke Littler has been told he must get used to players being jealous of him
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Littler’s run in Belgium wasn’t without controversy, though, with semi-final opponent Ricardo Pietreczko accusing him of being ‘arrogant’ after confronting him on stage.
In the second round, Polish player Krzysztof Ratajski drank water from Littler’s table in what the teen thought was an attempt to put him off.
Mardle has hailed Littler’s reaction to the Pietreczko incident, claiming he ‘couldn’t care less’.
The pundit believes there is jealousy from some other players that will not go away due to the teen’s huge rise in the sport.
He told Sky Sports News: “Pietreczko has done this four or five times – when he gets beat, he doesn’t like it.
“But he normally acts in a pretty petulant way. And to be honest, this is kind of expected but what wasn’t expected was the reaction from Luke – he couldn’t care less.
“Honestly, look, Littler has got this constitution that is relaxed, he is focused when he has to be, he enjoys the crowd interaction with them and enjoys the game. He enjoys the pressure, all of this and he’s just 17.
“There’s going to be jealousy, they’re going to be jealous for the things that come his way with sponsorships, the endorsements, the money, the fame, the media attention, where some think that they deserve it more than Luke, whether they do or not is absolutely irrelevant.”
Mardle also says it affects players when they are unable to get under Littler’s skin.
He added: “The likes of Pietreczko couldn’t rattle him. You can’t rattle Littler. That in itself is rattling. I think a lot of players think they can intimidate a 17-year-old.
“But the drinking of the water, it’s happened for the last two decades. It’s not a big thing. It’s just a mistake. When you’re involved in a game, you’ve got your blinkers on and you go to the wrong table.
“The reason that these players are becoming rattled, is because the Luke Littler is a better player than them and they don’t like it.”
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Luke Littler was called ‘arrogant’ by Ricardo Pietreczko after the Belgian Darts Open
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Mardle admits there is a bit of arrogance to Littler but says every successful sportsperson has that in them.
He said: “He has got this confidence. He’s got this swagger, see it is arrogance, but you tell me a big hitter in the world of any sport, someone that’s got this ability to achieve, they’ve all got what’s seen as arrogance.
“I think it’s just an inner confidence that comes out with Luke.
“Like I said, he’s living his best life – if someone gets annoyed at his way that’s not for him to worry about.
Luke Littler has proven he can mix it with the best in the Premier League
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“That’s for them to worry about and deal with deal it because at the moment, they’ve got to deal with him for decades to come and good luck with that.”
Littler currently sits third in the Premier League table ahead of night seven in Nottingham on Thursday.
He is yet to pick up a nightly win but has won all but one of his quarter-finals to date.
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