Luke Humphries responds after James Wade brands him and Luke Littler ‘lazy’

Luke Humphries has deed backmost aft darts rival James Wade branded him ‘lazy’, insisting determination is nary subordinate that ‘works harder’ than him connected the circuit.

Wade booked his spot successful the past 16 of the PDC World Masters connected Friday, digging heavy to decision Mike De Decker 3-2 astatine Milton Keynes’ Marshall Arena.

The 41-year-old was understandably pleased with his performance, which came conscionable weeks aft his disappointing second-round elimination astatine the World Darts Championship.

However, it was Wade’s comments aft his triumph which truly caused a disturbance among darts fans, with ‘The Machine’ taking purpose astatine some Humphries and world champion Luke Littler – his last-16 hostile – for their evident laziness.

‘I don’t judge anyone is astonishing isolated from astir apt Luke and Luke and, aft that, they tin beryllium rather lazy,’ helium said aft downing De Decker.

‘They’re not Phil Taylors, they’re not Michael van Gerwens astatine their best, but they are phenomenal players.

‘But there’s gaps successful the marketplace and it is what it is.’

Looking to enactment his last-16 exit astatine the World Darts Championship down him, Humphries booked his spot successful the Masters quarter-finals with an emphatic 4-0 triumph implicit Josh Rock this afternoon.

Speaking soon aft the one-sided whitewash, ‘Cool Hand’ appeared to respond to the comments made by Wade, underlining his professionalism connected circuit and unwavering tendency to amended himself.

‘I’m searching for thing better,’ Humphries – the 2024 satellite champion – told reporters.

‘I’m truly blessed with my performances implicit the past 18 months, I’ve been truly good, but if you’re going to support up you’ve got to get amended and I privation to acceptable the standard.

‘There’s nary subordinate that works harder than me. Yesterday, I was the lone subordinate present practicing due to the fact that I privation to beryllium performing astatine the highest level.

‘I privation to situation Luke [Littler], Michael [van Gerwen and Gezzy [Gerwyn Pryce], I don’t privation it to signifier retired and not to aspire to thing great.

‘I’m moving incredibly hard and that’s each I attraction about. If it doesn’t enactment retired for maine past truthful beryllium it.

‘But each I tin archer myself is I’m moving hard from the quality I’ve got and I’m conscionable trying to find thing that tin marque maine adjacent amended and situation everybody.’

On his show against Rock, Humphries added: ‘I felt determination was much to springiness and I deliberation you could spot that successful my performance, determination was truthful galore missed opportunities to play better.

‘But erstwhile you triumph 4-0 you can’t beryllium excessively hard connected yourself. You’ve done what you needed to do.

‘I felt for Josh there, helium missed a fewer important doubles to triumph definite legs and it could person been a batch closer.

‘I deliberation 4-0 was not truthful just but I’m objective nether unit sometimes and I that’s what took maine through. Not my champion but I cognize there’s different level successful maine that I tin bring retired erstwhile it’s needed.’

Humphries – who faces Damon Heta successful the adjacent circular – stressed that securing the Masters rubric was his sole focus, adjacent if it meant ‘winning ugly’.

‘Sometimes it’s frustrating erstwhile you consciousness similar you could person performed astatine a precocious level and you don’t but erstwhile you win, that’s that matters,’ helium added.

‘For me, similar I said to a batch of radical connected Thursday, I’m not present to acceptable retired markers oregon to deed monolithic averages, I conscionable privation to win.

‘Win disfigured oregon triumph great, it doesn’t matter. As agelong arsenic I’m present time that’s astir apt erstwhile I’m astatine my astir dangerous.’

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