The morning after the night before had the ability to feel like a monumental comedown for Luke Littler.
Not just in pondering what might have been in the World Championship final, but with the spotlight now gone.
Cameras seem to have followed his every move, from the practice boards at Ally Pally to the competition ones, and from Emirates Stadium to a seat in the Spurs box of James Maddison, who was one of the notable celebrities watching his final.
The 16-year-old has been a breath of fresh air for darts. A record TV audience of 2.3million watched his semi-final against Rob Cross and, when figures for the final are announced, one suspects plenty more for the tournament climax.
The hyperbole around Littler has been monstrous from the moment he won his opening-round match at the event, and understandably so.
While he could not quite pull off the unthinkable in becoming world champion at such a tender age, he deserves to be put alongside other sporting phenomenons.
Sky Sports had put up a graphic prior to the final listing other teens to have reached the top: Boris Becker at Wimbledon aged 17, Pele becoming a World Cup winner at the same age, Martina Hingis at the Australian Open at 15 and Nadia Comaneci an Olympic gymnastics champion at 14. The common thread is both reaching their sport’s pinnacle but also their sporting genius.
Littler has yet to attain the former and yet Humphries suggested, to no great surprise, that the teenager was the champion elect for 2025.
As for the sporting genius, it is early days, but while most teenagers might be considering their school timetable or an apprenticeship, Littler is now likely mulling over an offer to join the sport’s Premier League.
His darts and board management have been something else and, while he may have left school with just one GCSE, his maths teacher must take some pride in the speed of his mental arithmetic at the oche.
And at points he seemed to have a magnetic ability in finding triple 19 and double 10, in particular, even if that proved a little more wayward come the final.
There are sporting teens who have previously gone off the rails, but Littler appears to have a maturity and level headedness well beyond his years, and a stable, loving family behind him.
The PDC know they are sitting on a gold mine in the teenager, all well timed as they negotiate a new TV deal with Sky Sports when the current one ends in 18 months.
"There are sporting teens who have previously gone off the rails, but Littler appears to have a maturity and level headedness well beyond his years"
Such was his coolness and brilliance that it was easy to forget how young he is — although occasionally snippets of his youth came out, such as a desire for a new coat and the latest FIFA computer game.
Littler has laughed off the offers already coming his way — one travel company offering him a job as kebab taster at their Turkish restaurant, while another London takeaway said he had free kebabs for life.
Bigger riches and sponsorship deals look sure to follow. Hopefully, Littler can be left to do what he does best… throw darts.
