KING STILL HAS POWER
Taylor wants title No.17
PHIL TAYLOR will not allow himself to become the faded former king of darts.
But do not rule him out of wearing the William Hill World Championship crown one more time. ‘The Power’ is 9-1 with the sponsors to win a 17th world title, the longest price he has ever been to lift the PDC title. He does not play his opening match until Sunday night and insists he is far from finished. Taylor said: “There seems to be a lot of folks out there who think I am over the hill, I am past it and I am never going to win another world title. One of these days they will be right – but not yet. “I am not thinking along those lines. I am not going to the world championship to walk on stage, wave to the crowd, make up the numbers and disappear again. “If you look at my record over the past 12 months, I won the Champions League of Darts in Cardiff, I reached the Premier League play-off final, the World Matchplay final, I won tournaments in Australia and the World Cup for England with Adrian Lewis. “If that’s washed up, I’ll have some more of it. Not bad for a 56-year-old grandad, eh?” What is for sure is that Taylor knows when the time will be right to give up on ® the Ally Pally oche, because he wants to be remembered for his glorious exploits.
He added: “I don’t want to outstay my welcome and fade into the sunset.
“Muhammad Ali was the greatest, and he deserves to be remembered for floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee, but he finished his career getting beaten up by Larry Holmes.
“Mike Tyson was the most ferocious boxer on the planet but by the end he was losing more than he won.
“If Andy Murray retired tomorrow and never played tennis again he would finish as No.1 in the world and everyone would remember him as one of the greats.
Motivated
“I hope we’re not watching him lose in the first round at Wimbledon in 10 years’ time because he clung on for too long.”
Taylor will meet the winner of the preliminary match between English pair John Bowles and David Platt.
He last lifted the title in 2013 and was runner-up in 2015, though Michael van Gerwen seems unstoppable this time.
The Power’s PDC record remains amazing, having won 14 of their world titles to go along with two BDO crowns.
After losing the first PDC final in 1994 to Dennis Priestley, he then won the next eight on his way to legendary status.
“I was thinking of playing on until I am 60, but that’s another four years away and I am not sure I will keep going that long,” said Taylor.
“I am not motivated by money, I don’t need to keep playing darts to pay the bills.
“I want to go out at the top. I want to be remembered as a winner.
“You don’t have to like me, but I hope you’ll respect what I achieved.”