- Luke Humphries is set to defend his world title at Alexandra Palace
- The 29-year-old has answered some questions put to him by Paddy Power
World darts champion Luke Humphries has answered a series of questions put to him by Paddy Power as he prepares to defend his title at Alexandra Palace.
Humphries lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time in January after beating teenage sensation Luke Littler 7-4 in the final.
He remains the No1 ranked player in the world after a stellar year, and is one of the favourites to emerge victorious again next month.
It has been a brilliant last 18 months for Humphries as he has become the player to beat, and he has now revealed exactly how seriously he takes his craft.
After being asked if he was ever worried about picking up injuries and whether he took precautions to protect his hands, Humphries replied: ‘I am actually really protective of them.
‘When I used to be a roofer I always wore gloves for anything I did. Whether I picked up timber or any roof slates or felt, I used to always wear gloves regardless, just so I didn’t ruin my hands. I’m very protective of what I do.
Luke Humphries won his first world title at Alexandra Palace back in January
He is returning to defend his title, and has revealed the one activity he avoids due to fear of injury
Humphries and Luke Littler have had some great battles over the past 12 months and could meet again at the World Championship
‘I wouldn’t go ice skating, stuff like that. Just things where you can injure yourself, you’ve got to be very careful.’
Humphries has no interest in ice skating, and he even admitted he sometimes feels the same way about darts.
The 29-year-old stated that even he gets bored of playing at times, as he opened up on exactly how much he practices to make sure that he doesn’t lose interest in the sport.
‘Yes I do (get bored),’ Humphries added. ‘When I first started I used to not play as much so I really look forward to it every time. But sometimes you have those moments where you think “I could have a week off here”, which I do. But I do still love the game very much.’
On practicing, Humphries continued: ‘Not very much. You probably play three or four days when the Premier League’s on, so you have three or four days off, and then one of those days I’ll probably practice for an hour or two.’
As the No1 seed, Humphries has been given a first-round bye, and is scheduled to face either Thibault Tricole or Joe Comito in the second round of the World Championship, which gets underway on Sunday.
He has been placed on the same side of the draw as Littler, meaning there will be no repeat of last year’s final.
But the pair could meet in the semi-finals, having shared some classic battles over the past 12 months.
Littler beat Humphries in the Premier League final in May, but Humphries got his revenge when they last faced each other at the Players Championship final in Minehead last month.