Phil Taylor, 64, officially confirms his retirement from darts in interview as he says ‘my body is 90’ after injury woes
PHIL TAYLOR has confirmed he is retiring from professional darts.
The darts legend, 64, pulled out of the World Seniors Darts Masters due to complications following hip surgery.
Having won more titles than any other player during his pro career, Taylor was set to step away from the oche following the tournament, scheduled to start on November 8.
Taylor has 16 World Matchplay, 11 World Grand Prix titles and 14 World Championships to his name between 1995 and 2012, with an overall tournament win count of 214.
The Power originally retired in 2018 as he felt he could no longer compete with the likes of Michael van Gerwen or Luke Humphries.
He then made his return to competitive darts four years later in the senior series.
Taylor had hoped to sign off his career once and for all with the World Seniors Masters, but could not compete due to a hip problem after he underwent surgery in the summer.
And speaking on talkSPORT, he has now confirmed his decision after admitting his body is simply unable to keep up with his “teen” mind.
He said: “I’m retired now, properly retired. I’m just going to do some personal appearances like yourself [Ally McCoist].
“How do I know? My eyes started going a few years ago then my hip went and then the travelling. You’re away from home four-five days a week and it’s good for money but it’s not good for your family.
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“My mind is still in my teens but my body is 90.
“How did I keep going? If I won a players championship that paid for the food bills. Every tournament was about paying the bills.
“Has there been a better marketed sport in last decade? They (the fans) don’t just have a little bit of fun, they have a lot of fun. It’s fantastic.”
Asked who he reckons would win the Darts World Championship this year given how stacked the field was, he named Luke Littler, Humphries and Van Gerwen as the main contenders.
However, he said it was hard to look past World No1 Cool Hand Humphries.
He also addressed rumours about him going on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
Taylor said: “I’d be interested but not this year, it’s too late.
“Someone mentioned I was the favourite in the bookies but I said ‘I have no idea how’.”
On his injury struggles, he previously said: “Everything was going fine, but then I just did a little too much and apparently I’ve torn my scar tissue. So yeah, it’s a bit painful.
“It’s been the worst pain I’ve ever had these last twelve months. Honestly, I’ll be glad when this year is gone.
“Practicing, I’ve been okay, but when you’ve been playing for a few hours there’s this really bad pain in the hip. It’s like having toothache and it drives me crazy, it really does.”
Phil Taylor's glittering career
Phil Taylor quit his day job in the ceramic industry to become a full-time darts player in 1987 and went on to establish himself as a legend of the sport.
He dominated darts for over two decades, winning 214 professional tournaments – including 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships.
The Power won his first World Championship in 1990, three years after becoming a professional player, and clinched his second two years later.
He then won eight consecutive world titles from 1995 to 2002.
Among his incredible list of accolades are 16 World Matchplay titles, 11 World Grand Prix titles, five UK Open titles, four European Championship titles and six Grand Slam titles.
Taylor also won six Premier League titles, four Championship League titles, five Desert Classic titles. two US Open titles, a UK Masters title and a World Masters title.
His incredible achievements saw him nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2006 and 2010, finishing as runner-up in the latter year.
Taylor won his last World Championship in 2013.