Phil Taylor initially retired from professional darts in 2018 before returning to playing the sport competitively two years ago but is now calling time on his career for good
Phil Taylor has pulled out of the World Seniors Masters and effectively brought forward his second retirement after playing through pain over the last year following hip surgery.
Taylor, 64, first left professional darts in 2018 after being beaten by Rob Cross in that year’s World Championship final. However, that was a brief break, returning to competitive darts in the World Seniors Darts Championship two years later.
He had hoped to retire again on his terms at the oche during the World Seniors Masters this November. However, post-surgery struggles now mean Taylor cannot play the sport without being in pain.
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“I’m struggling a bit with my hip,” he told Online Darts. “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.”
The comments come after Taylor had announced would stop playing darts for good this year. “It’s been an unbelievable journey over the past 35 years, and I’ve loved every minute of it,” Taylor said, reflecting on his career.
“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.” Almost three decades have passed since Taylor first won the PDC World Championship title in 1995, a tournament he would win ten more times over the following 11 years.
Wins in 2009, 2010, and 2013 brought his total number of world titles to a record 16. Taylor made the final in all but four of his 25 appearances.
His trophy haul includes six Premier League titles and four World Cup with England. They are among the highlights of his 214 professional titles, a record 85 of which he won at majors.
Taylor also earned nominations for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2006 and 2010, the latter year seeing him finish second to AP McCoy. Within his sport, Taylor also holds the record for becoming the first player to land two nine-dart finishes within a single match.
His final World Senior Darts Championship in January ended early after Germany’s Manfred Bilderl beat him 3-2 despite rallying from two sets down to force a decider. His opponent ultimately recovered and advanced to the next round.
