Luke Humphries may not be heading into the World Darts Championship as world No 1 or defending champion, but that does not mean he feels like he has to chase anyone down.
Humphries headed to the Palace a year ago looking to become only the fourth player ever to defend their crown on darts' biggest stage before a loss to Peter Wright brought an end to that dream for the time being.
That has not slowed Humphries down since though as he has since picked up his maiden Premier League win, a Masters win, plus made it to the finals of the Grand Prix and the Grand Slam.
While he has since lost his world No 1 spot to Littler, 'The Nuke' moving ahead of his rival at the Grand Slam before extending that at the Players Championship Finals, the 2024 world champ does not think he heads to Ally Pally having to chase Littler down.
"I don't think I'm chasing anybody. I'm just chasing my own dreams of winning World Championships," Humphries said.
"I'm not worrying about anybody else. If there's one person in front of me or 10 people in front of me, I can't chase people because it never works that well for me.
"So, for me, I'm going to be chasing something... to keep achieving my dreams.
"To win a World Championship was amazing, but now I want to win another, and I want to win multiple.
"If I can produce some of the level that I have done in the last couple of weeks and months, I'm going to stand up and do it."
2023 was Humphries' stand out year so far as he clinched the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam, and Players Championship Finals on the way to his worlds victory.
However, 'Cool Hand' believes his form has been better in the last few months than it was at that time.
"I think in the last couple of months, it is probably played the best starts that I've ever played, to be honest, on a big stage in a consistent manner," he added.
"When I won in 2023, I was playing good, but I think if you look at the stats: my World Grand Prix was a better tournament average, my Grand Slam was better than I did when I won it.
"At the European Championship, it's the best running average I've ever played in it.
"The Players' Championship didn't go my way, but I'm one of them players that kind of takes on the chin.
"You're not going to always be making a major one every single time. So, just one bad tournament, and the Worlds I feel pretty confident about."
There are many factors that players can attribute to an improved performance and while Humphries can cite many there is one in particular he believes has worked wonders: Slowing down his throw.
"I think when you slow my throw down, it's really helped me," Humphries said.
"I think it's turned me into a new player that feels much more confident when he's up there.
"I feel like I am playing the best darts that I have done, especially in a consistent manner."
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