Phil Taylor: Slowing down but not giving up on a 17th World Darts Championship title
Monday 8 December 2014 08:17, UK
Sky Sports meets darts icon Phil Taylor ahead of the start of the World Championship this December.
If ever there was an excuse for swaggering with self-confidence, winning 16 world championships is it. But being the most successful man in darts history certainly hasn’t given Phil Taylor an ego.
Despite the gladiatorial nature of the sport, off the oche most darts players are, in general, easy to get along with, fun and most of all, humble. And humble is the best word to describe Taylor when we meet him.
The media gathered in London on the eve of the PDC World Championship draw were informed that Taylor wouldn’t be facing us again the following day, due to personal reasons. And immediately, you could sense the serious illness of his mother was laying heavy on the mind of the 54-year-old.
When asked what present he’d like this year, “I haven’t asked for anything for Christmas, I’ve got enough going on”, was the solemn reply.
Taylor’s second-round exit to Michael Smith last December was one of the biggest shocks to shake the darts world in years. The stuttering season that followed left those in and around the sport asking: ‘Has Phil Taylor lost the power?’
The green flash of Michael van Gerwen has stippled the calendar with victories. But Taylor, while not at his dominating best, has been shifting his way back in to the fold with classy victories at the players’ favourite tournament, the World Matchplay in Blackpool, and a win in the code-crossover Grand Slam of Darts in November. And now, 24 years after he lifted his first, The Power has his 17th world championship in sight.
“My favourite title was the first,” he says. “The second was special because that was epic [6-5 versus Mike Gregory in ‘92]. But the last one – my 16th – was special because everyone was writing me off. I thought ‘wow, perhaps it is the end’. But it’s not. I put that right.
World Darts Championship
“The 'worlds' is what you’re after, everybody wants that. The atmosphere is brilliant, it’s Christmas time, so everyone’s in a party mood."
But what's it like, dominating a sport for decades? How do the likes of Roger Federer, Michael Schumacher, the All Blacks, and Taylor, create a dynasty of success? What motivates an athlete to keep winning when they’ve won so many times before?
“It’s my job,” says Taylor. “It’s the way I was brought up. It’s what my parents taught me – you go out there and do your best – that’s in me.
“Asking about my motivation is a daft question because it’s either in you or it isn’t – and if it isn’t then you shouldn’t play. It’s like saying to Roy Keane ‘why do you try so hard on the football pitch?’ “
Knackered
But what about taking a step back from the game? When we last caught up with Taylor at his book launch in October, he mooted the idea of retirement in the next two years and confirmed a definite step back from competition in 2015 - though PDC chairman Barry Hearn is keen to keep his hero going a lot longer.
“I did say two more years but Barry has asked me for five. He’s got something planned because he said to me ‘do you know you’ve got two years left?’ I said yes. He said ‘I want another seven’.
“I’m not playing all the floor tournaments this year. So rather than being away Wednesday to Monday, I’ll be away Wednesday and get home Friday, or Thursday night.
“I’m looking forward to going into tournaments next year and feeling healthy and fit.
“I was knackered all of last year. I said to the players ‘I’m looking forward to seeing how I feel’, because half of them are shattered all of the time. We do so much travelling. You travel late at night then you’re up at seven in the morning, there’s no routine and it’s difficult to get your diet right.”
Years of traveling, late nights and high-pressure games would take a toll on anyone. The metamorphosis of darts swept Taylor up in a whirlwind of million pound prize-money, lucrative sponsorship deals and huge audiences. Plus, of course, the slick TV coverage that has transformed the game from something once regarded as a pub sport to one of the most popular professional sporting competitions in the country.
Now, tickets for Alexandra Palace are prized like gold dust, swapping hands for hundreds of pounds. Eager fans bundle themselves in bizarre fancy dress to cheer on from the crowd, or watch from home. This year they will be able to watch 20 days of 24hour darts with the latest game changer, Sky Sports Darts, a whole channel dedicated to the sport for the duration of the tournament.
“It’s like golf, it’s on par with Manchester United and Arsenal, getting our own channel - It’s weird, it really is,” Taylor admits.
“I never thought for a second we’d get that big. I always thought under the right promoter, Barry Hearn, we could climb the rankings a bit. But nothing like this – if you’re mediocre you can pick up a million quid, it’s mad - fair play to Barry and Sky.”
Meat and potato pie
Where darts goes next is anyone’s guess, but the growing popularity of the sport internationally is another indicator there’s still plenty of room for expansion and new audiences.
Taylor is looking forward to having the next two weeks off with his family. He’s got Sky Go and wants to get stuck into some TV box sets, while his grandchildren pop round, not for the usual turkey and trimmings, but for the ‘meat and potato pie’ they’ve requested.
There’s a mad few weeks on the horizon for the best 64 darts players in the world, and The Power is going to need every bit of energy to grasp that 17th title. When asked whether he'd change his famous nickname he says wryly: 'Maybe ‘The Old Fogey’?’
Breaking into a smile, Taylor then recalls: “I was going down the motorway once and saw a van, it must have belonged to someone called Phil Taylor, and his business was Phil ‘The Plumber’ Taylor.”
But even the self-titled ‘old fogey’ of darts can’t help but be wrapped up in the magic of the PDC World Championship.
“I love the whole shebang. Sky have made it into a show and I like that. I like seeing people – especially with the world we’re in now – enjoying themselves, and not angry all the time.
“Seeing youngsters with smiles on their faces is what I like. The audience has changed, it’s young kids who love the darts to bits.”
Watch the PDC World Championship live on Sky Sports Darts from December 18. For information on how to upgrade to Sky Sports head to www.skysports.com/watch/get-sky
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