‘My mind hasn’t been on darts this week’ says Luke Humphries as he admits young son has been unwell

LUKE HUMPHRIES has admitted his mind has been elsewhere this week after he crashed out of the Grand Slam of Darts.

The reigning champion failed to make it out of the group stage at the tournament in Wolverhampton.

World champion Luke Humphries will not be retaining his Grand Slam of Darts title[/caption]

The 29-year-old was knocked out on Monday but revealed his son had been unwell[/caption]

Humphries finished third in Group A with two losses from his three matches.

The 29-year-old thrashed Michael Mansell 5-1 in his final group game on Monday night.

But he won’t be defending the title he won in style just 12 months ago, with Mansell and James Wade advancing to the knockout stage.

World No. 1 Humphries took to social media following Sunday night’s loss to Wade, revealing his son Rowan had been unwell.

Cool Hand gave a further update on Monday, admitting it had not been an easy few days.

Humphries told SunSport: “My mind hasn’t been on darts this week, unfortunately.

“Although it’s been playing on my mind you can’t use that as too much of an excuse.”

Humphries has enjoyed a stunning 2024, winning the World Championship and the World Matchplay.

He added: “If my son had gone into hospital I wouldn’t have been here, that’s for sure. I’d have pulled out.

“There’s no doubt about that. He’s slowly but surely getting better. He’s not getting worse.

“I was at an exhibition on Thursday and had to rush home because he really wasn’t well.

“He didn’t have to go into hospital which is the most important thing.

“He’s the most important thing. I’m glad he’s getting better.”

LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship at the beginning of the year.

The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age – smashing records along the way.

He has then gone on to win a host of PDC events and the Premier League title – which he claimed at the O2 Arena by beating world champion Luke Humphries in May.

He also finished his first season in the World Series as the No1 ranked player.

He has joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.

And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.

He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.

But he is newly single after splitting from girlfriend Eloise Milburn following a 10-month relationship.

With Humphries out of the running, teenage sensation Luke Littler is the new favourite to lift the Grand Slam crown.

Littler has already booked his place in the knockout stage after two thumping wins in Group F.

The 17-year-old thrashed Keane Barry in his opening match with an outrageous average of 112.16.