Luke Humphries has vowed to bounce back after being dethroned as Paddy Power World Darts champion on Sunday night.
Humphries suffered a 4-1 exit at the hands of Peter Wright at Alexandra Palace, seeing his hopes of retaining the Sid Waddell Trophy shattered by a clinical finishing display from the Scot.
Wright completed 14 doubles in 20 attempts, which was the best doubles performance in seven sets so far in this year's event.
Speaking after the defeat, Humphries said: “I probably put too much pressure on myself tonight, but I thought I played well.
“I kept hitting the first triple dart but couldn't follow it. Peter played fantastic and backed up what he said before the match, so fair play to him.
“I wasn't at my best, but I wasn't terrible at all, and I'll bounce back. I'll sleep well again tonight and look forward to next year.
Humphries won the World Matchplay, Players Championship finals and the World Cup of Darts in 2024, and also claimed a maiden World Series of Darts title in New Zealand during a memorable year as champion of the world.
The 29-year-old will now get a break ahead of the Bahrain Darts Masters next month, and he added: “I'm still number one in the world and this result won't stop me from continuing to win.
“I know that if I have to play this sport for another 20 years; I'm not going to win every time, and if someone performs like that against you, you have to accept that the better player won.
“There is a long season ahead of me. We still have 12 months before we come back here and do it all again, but I want to earn more in the meantime.
“I'm not thinking about next year's World Championship yet, but when we are back here next year, I would of course like to get my title back.
“I don’t see my career ending as a one-time world champion. I feel like I'm going to earn more.
