Adrian Lewis hasn’t competed at a TV major for three-and-a-half years but his popularity clearly remains sky-high.
It was back in early 2023 that the two-time world darts champion took an indefinite break from the PDC tour for personal reasons. His appearances have been sporadic since then but the clamour for a full-scale return to the main tour among his loyal following has never wavered.
So much so that the recent release of a new shirt and especially new set of darts has seen demand sky-rocket. The darts are selling like hot cakes and are clearly satisfying Lewis, who showed off a nine-darter on his Twitter/X account within days of getting his hands on them.
“They’ve been the fastest-selling darts that Target (manufacturer) have ever seen, which is amazing really, considering I haven’t been on the circuit for a few years,” the 41-year-old says.
Lewis is one of only seven men to win the PDC World Championships more than once, and one of only four (along with Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson and Luke Littler) to win it back-to-back. That makes the appeal of him obvious. That much was clear from the excellent reception he received at a Darts on Your Doorstep event in Ashbourne, Derbyshire on Sunday.
And Lewis had a twinkle in his eye whilst speaking to a handful of reporters on a virtual media conference prior to the PDC-backed initiative.
He fielded questions on a number of topics with chief among them the upcoming World Grand Prix which gets underway in Leicester this week. The 32-player tournament has a unique place in the darting calendar given it is the only event with a double-in, double-out format.
Lewis could never quite crack this event although he was runner-up to James Wade in 2010. Anderson and Raymond van Barneveld are two more of the many high-profile names never to have lifted the trophy. Offering a peak behind the curtain, Lewis admits that more than a few of the field do not relish this particular format.
“I don’t think anybody looks forward to it,” Lewis told the Gazette.
“Even when Michael Smith was world number one, I remember him saying how he’d booked his flight home (from Dublin where it was previously based) for the Wednesday, because he knew he was going to be out by then! It is a really difficult one.”
Lewis also tells the story of how Rob Cross, at the time reigning world champion, perhaps underestimated both his opponent and the uniqueness of the tournament back in 2018.
“I always remember when Rob first came over, and bear in mind he was playing brilliant darts then. He had Steve Beaton in the first round and Rob goes ‘I think I’m all right, I’ve got a good draw’. I don’t think Rob won a leg – Steve beat him 2-0!
“It just shows you that it takes a lot of experience to actually start getting half-decent at it, and even then, it’s not 100 per cent confident (in this format).
“The key to it is getting off with those first three darts, because if you don’t, you’re in trouble. It’s really, really difficult and you need to try and find a rhythm. Obviously, when you’re starting on tops, for instance, you’re up there and then you have to go back down the board. It does take a bit of getting used to and I think the newcomers to it will find it very difficult.”
One player who seemingly finds precious little difficult is world number one Littler. The 19-year-old is almost always in the headlines and of late it has been owing to his comments over potentially boycotting events in the Netherlands after being whistled by Dutch fans at the World Series of Darts – where his bid for an unprecedented clean sweep of majors in a calendar year was ended.
On the treatment that Littler has been on the end of, Lewis sympathised: “It’s very difficult. When you’ve got that going on, I don’t think it’s nice. I don’t think it’s cool. At the end of the day, he’s a young lad. He’s been one of the best players I’ve ever seen. And I think it’s unfair on him.”
The 2011 and 2012 Ally Pally champion also offered a crumb of advice to Littler, suggesting: “What you’re best off doing, really, is trying not to react to them. They’ll start getting bored. Engage with the crowd, because you’ve got to engage with them because that’s part of the job. But if they start booing and whistling, just take no notice of them.”
Perhaps inevitably during the short but enjoyable media call, attention eventually turned towards a potential bid to get back to the top of the sport.
As well as being in a jovial mood and clearly re-energised amid familiar surroundings, Lewis also noticeably looks leaner. So is this all with a big comeback in mind?
Sadly, Lewis says, not quite yet. Although he didn’t rule it entirely out.
When quizzed specifically on what he’s been doing to keep in shape, he replied: “I’ve just been doing a lot of walking. I’ve been looking after myself. I’ve just cut out the junk food over the past 15 months or so but I still want to lose a bit more. Probably another stone, I’d say.”
And on his thought process regarding a comeback: “What I’ve been considering is, having a go on the Challenge Tour.
“I think there’ll be too much pressure if I turn up to Q School, with the expectation and everything else, and the pressure I put on myself as well, so I’d rather get back into the competition side of doing the Challenge Tour and do it that way.”
*Adrian Lewis was speaking at a Darts on Your Doorstep initiative, in association with Smart Energy GB, after opening a new darts facility at the Mayfield Memorial Hall in Ashbourne. To find out more, visit pdc.tv.
