Phil Taylor told Sky Sports NewsHD he should get a "kick up the backside" if he doesn't win the PDC World Championship.
Reigning champion Lewis insists he's under no extra pressure
Phil Taylor insists he should get a "kick up the backside" if he doesn't win the 2012 PDC World Championship.
The 15-time world champion heads to Alexandra Palace a man on a mission after failing to get beyond the quarter-final stage last time, losing 5-2 to Welshman Mark Webster.
However, 'The Power' is in prime form this season, including recently winning the Grand Slam of Darts title thanks to a 16-4 demolition of Gary Anderson.
Taylor will face either Haruki Muramatsu of Japan or Swede Dennis Nilsson, who is a former contestant in the strongman competitions, in his opening match of what he hopes will be a highly-successful festive period.
"There are some tough draws there but I'm really looking forward to playing in the World Championship," he told
Sky Sports NewsHD.
"That's the pinnacle of our careers. Whoever you play you've got a tough game, so it doesn't make a lot of difference."
Warming up
The 51-year-old will warm up, quite literally, for the tournament with a trip to his villa in Tenerife.
"I'm going to get ready for the Players Championship, then obviously get ready for the World Championship," he continued.
"That's the big one. I've got a couple of weeks now where I can prepare properly.
"I'm playing well enough - if I don't win it this year then I want a kick up the back side.
"It's the best one you can win. You can forget every other tournament, even though they are just as hard to win, because the World Championship just has that ring to it."
The action kicks off on December 15 and runs until January 2, with breaks for Christmas and New Year. The schedule does mean the players can't fully enter into the festive celebrations, though Taylor insists that's just part of the job.
"It doesn't matter. It's our living," he added. "It's a great pay day. If you win £200,000 you can have Christmas Day every day for the next six months."
Same pressure
It is Adrian Lewis, not Taylor, who will be defending the crown this time around, though 'Jackpot' is adamant that being reigning champion doesn't heap any extra pressure on his broad shoulders.
"It's just another tournament for me, though it's the biggest tournament," he said. "I think everybody is under the same pressure - everybody wants to be up there to win."
Lewis - who toppled Scotland's Anderson 7-5 in the 2011 final - will begin his bid to retain the title against funeral director Nigel Heydon.
"He's a very good player - he played well at the Grand Slam, beating Gary Anderson, so he's going to be no mug," he admitted.
"But, at the end of the day, I'll be ready for it. I'm really looking forward to it."
