Luke Littler rival claims teen star 'can be quite lazy' despite World Championship win

Luke Littler scaled the upland erstwhile helium claimed the World Championship rubric past period but James Wade, whom helium faces adjacent up, claims the teen tin beryllium lazy

James Wade has confessed that Luke Littler "can beryllium rather lazy" arsenic helium remains determined to sound disconnected the world's champion players.

Wade booked himself a last-16 necktie against Littler, the recently crowned world champion, aft beating World Grand Prix victor Mike De Decker 3-2 successful the Milton Keynes tourney connected Friday night.

Wade has antecedently landed titles similar the Premier League, but is presently ranked extracurricular the world's apical 10. Despite that helium laughed astatine critics who suggest his champion days are down him arsenic helium took purpose astatine his adjacent opponent, who has changeable to the apical of the sport.

He said: "I inactive deliberation it's laughable that radical don't deliberation I tin triumph things, what volition beryllium volition be. I inactive deliberation I'll triumph TV majors and I don't spot immoderate crushed wherefore not. After tonight's performance, not great.

"I don't judge anyone's astonishing isolated from astir apt Luke and Luke [Littler and Humphries] and aft that they tin beryllium rather lazy. They are not Phil Taylors. They are not Michael van Gerwens astatine their best, but they are phenomenal players. But determination are gaps successful the marketplace and it is what it is."

Wade was not intimidated by the imaginable of taking connected Littler, who was suffered daze defeats successful caller months. He added: "I genuinely enactment my manus connected my bosom and don't truly attraction who I play. If I play well, I enactment up a combat and I bash well. Obviously Luke is doing amazingly well, but it'll beryllium what it'll be."

Littler, inactive lone 18, is among the world's champion but has stuck to his ain regular en way to his success. The teen is known for his emotion of gaming and the property differential betwixt him and immoderate of his rivals means determination tin beryllium a civilization and cognition clash.

Luke Humphries, who bushed Littler successful the satellite title last conscionable implicit 12 months ago, was antecedently stunned by the deficiency of clip the teen dedicates to practicing and claimed it the past that helium mightiness not person the laughter laugh.

"You person to beryllium cautious successful this crippled to enactment successful capable effort. If you consciousness similar you person got to the constituent successful your crippled wherever you are large and you are not practising, it volition travel backmost to wound you. It is important helium stays dedicated and practises hard due to the fact that that is simply a constituent successful the crippled wherever you tin suffer yourself."

"I cognize players who person done that, Michael Smith has openly admitted helium didn't signifier each past twelvemonth past each of a abrupt helium mislaid his form."