Phil 'The Power' Taylor announces retirement from darts after 2024 World Senior Darts Tour - 'An unbelievable journey'

Phil 'The Power' Taylor has announced that he will retire from competitive darts at the end of the 2024 World Senior Darts Tour.

The 63-year-old, who has won a record 16 World Championships, previously stepped away from the sport after reaching the World Championship final in 2018.

He returned in 2022, when he entered the inaugural World Seniors Darts Championship, but lost in the quarter-finals to Kevin Painter.

"It's been an unbelievable journey over the past 35 years and I've loved every minute of it," Taylor said on his retirement.

Taylor is widely considered one of the greatest players to have ever graced the sport, dominating darts for nearly two decades and winning 214 professional tournaments, including 85 major titles.

His first professional title came at the Canadian Open in 1988, before claiming his first World Championship in 1990. He would go on to win the event eight times in a row between 1995 and 2002, making the finals on 14 consecutive occasions.

"I'll always love performing to the best of my ability, but time waits for no man and I know now is the right time to step away from the Tour," Taylor added.

"I'm going to be working just as hard as I always have to make sure I give the fans what they want and go out on top."

The World Senior Darts Tour will commence on January 19 at the Crucible Club in Reading. Eleven tournaments will be played throughout the year, with the final event being played on November 16 and 17.

Billy Lovell of the World Senior Darts said: "Phil is one of the greatest sports people the UK has ever produced and we would like to place on record how grateful we are that he decided to come out of retirement at the beginning of our project.

"We have absolutely loved having him around and we're sure his final year on tour with us will be great fun."

A statement issued by the World Seniors Darts Tour read: "Phil Taylor will once again call time on a fabulous career when he hangs up the darts at the end of 2024."

It adds: "In his final year, don't be expecting the English sporting legend to just go through the motions, as The Power remians as hungry as ever to end on a high note and pick up a World Seniors Darts Tour Title!"

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