Luke Humphries has urged critics to let Noa-Lynn van Leuven “get on with it and play” as she prepares for her debut at the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts.
Van Leuven is set to make history as the first transgender competitor to take on the men in a major darts tournament, 19 years after Deta Hedman became the first woman to beat a male opponent on TV.
Tonight, in an all-Dutch showdown at VW Active Aldersley, Van Leuven will face three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen in a group that also includes Gary Anderson and Ryan Joyce.
World No. 1 Humphries, who begins his defence of the Grand Slam crown against Austrian World Cup runner-up Rowby-John Rodriguez, said: “I think she will enjoy – that group is a great challenge for her. She will enjoy the chance to play two of the greatest players that have ever been, Michael and Gary.
“I don’t know Noa-Lynn very well, to be honest – I’ve only met her once before at the Women’s World Matchplay, on the day I was in the final.
“But she has been doing great, playing well, so I wish her all the best.”
Six months ago, Hedman caused controversy by forfeiting her Denmark Open quarter-final against Van Leuven, admitting she “struggled with transgenders playing in women’s world-ranked events”.
Humphries has spoken out on the contentious issue of Van Leuven competing against men and declared: “I don’t get too involved in the politics – it’s not up to me to say whether it is right or wrong.
“Whatever opinion I have, it wouldn’t matter. I just look at her as a darts player. She is in the competition on merit, she has not broken any rules, she is doing what she is allowed to do.”
Humphries also expressed his desire for the darts community to concentrate on the sport rather than the debate: “It’s a hard one, because there are so many different opinions that get thrown around.
“It would be nice if people let her get on with it and play. But I wish her all the best – hopefully she gets a win and it’s food for her.”
Regarding his own position in the coming months, the world champion shared his excitement and reflected on the rapid passage of time.
“This is the best time of year for me,” he said. “I cannot believe it has come round so quickly already. It’s quite incredible how fast it goes, but it has been a great ride regardless of what happens over the next couple of months.”
Despite having only one major victory this year, Humphries is satisfied with his performance: “I have enjoyed myself and I have done myself justice as world champion – only winning one major this year (the World Matchplay in July) is not the worst thing in the world.
“But now that I have won one world title, I want to win more. If I can do that, I would join some legends of the sport – the likes of Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson and Adrian Lewis – who have won back-to-back titles.”
Tonight, 17-year-old Luke Littler will kick off his first ever Grand Slam campaign as he faces off against Keane Barry.