Taylor - I'm not done yet

Taylor: 14-time champ

As soon as you relax with Raymond he seems to kick in, he gains on your weakness so I thought keep hitting him and keep hitting him.

Phil Taylor
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Due to Phil Taylor's dominance of the Players' Championship, Sky Bet are betting without 'The Power' and make Raymond van Barneveld 5/2 favourite.
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Newly-crowned PDC world champion Phil Taylor is already planning his title defence just a day after he crushed Raymond van Barneveld to lift the 2009 trophy.

Taylor produced a record-breaking display of darts in front of a packed-out Alexandra Palace as he averaged 110.94 during a comprehensive 7-1 win over his Dutch rival.

The win ensured Taylor reclaimed the World Championship trophy for the first time in three years - van Barneveld and John Part reigning in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Speaking the morning after his title triumph, Taylor admitted he had doubts over whether he would ever regain darts' grandest prize.

"To win it back again is unbelievable for me, you do doubt yourself and think am I going to win this (World Championships) again or what?" Taylor told Sky Sports News.

Weakness

"To get it back I'm absolutely made up."

Van Barneveld and Taylor played out what many regarded as the greatest ever World Championship final when 'Barney' lifted the trophy with a 7-6 win at the Circus Tavern in 2007.

And with that victory still fresh in the mind of 'The Power', the Stoke on-Trent player insisted he had to be ruthless to ensure there would be no repeat of the agony he felt two years ago.

"Once I started and I was playing well I thought, 'Don't stop now, don't give him a chance'," said Taylor.

"As soon as you relax with Raymond he seems to kick in, he gains on your weakness so I thought keep hitting him and keep hitting him because he's like Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe that's what you have to do to him.

"It's very cruel but that's what you have to do.

"They are such good players nowadays that what you have to do when you are on stage is put them under pressure and keep them under pressure.

Rub it in

"The averages have got to be 100-plus or you are going home."

The title-winning feat looked a long way off for Taylor at the start of 2008 - an 8-3 thrashing at the hands of Peter Manley seeing his Premier League campaign get off to a disastrous start.

However, with serious doubts raised over whether Taylor could rediscover his untouchable best, the 48-year-old changed his darts and his attitude as he stormed back to win the Premier League crown.

"It was the best thing that ever happened to me I think," said Taylor.

"Once he (Manley) beats you, he rubs it in your face as well. I've got signed photographs for him because he sells them but he doesn't half rub it in but I thank him for it in a strange way.

"Now I have to concentrate on defending my world title because there is nothing more important than that."