Emma Raducanu has told 16-year-old darts sensation Luke Littler to “take time to actually enjoy” his record-breaking run to the World Darts Championship final - and she warned the teenager to be careful with the people he surrounds himself with following his sudden rise to fame.
Littler became the youngest finalist in World Championship history when he shocked the darts world at Alexandra Palace at the start of the year.
Although Littler fell short in the final to world No 1 Luke Humpries, the teenager became a national celebrity overnight.
And someone who can relate to Littler’s dramatic emergence is Raducanu, who won the US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2021.
Raducanu has since struggled to live up to the expectations that followed her grand slam success, however, mainly due to a series of injuries.
Now 21, Raducanu was asked if she had any advice for Littler ahead of her comeback from injury at the Australian Open - after missing the last eight months of last season.
And Raducanu told reporters, including the The Times in Melbourne: “Keep your circle close, take time to actually enjoy it and don’t rush into the next thing straight away.”
Luke Littler is now a household name— (PA Wire)
Raducanu has employed a series of short-term coaches since her US Open victory and said ahead of the Australian Open that she has learned who to surround herself with as a professional.
The former British No 1 will work with childhood coach Nick Cavaday in Melbourne as she prepares to make her grand slam return after undergoing wrist and ankle surgeries in May.
“Reflecting on the past, I think people are very important, like the people who I surround myself is maybe sometimes even more so…” Raducanu said.
“I think surrounding yourself with competent and knowledgeable people is of course really important, but also the type of person and their character is big-time, just making sure we really get on and intentions are really good.”
Raducanu, who is ranked down at 299 as a result of her injury-hit year last season, said she is feeling positive ahead of 2024 and the 21-year-old said: “I feel a lot lighter now than I did for a long time after US Open. I feel like I’m not playing with a backpack of rocks. I feel pretty light and happy.”
