Phil Taylor has warned his rivals that he will come back stronger than ever after suffering a shock defeat to Dave Chisnall.
Power praises 'brilliant' Chisnall after shock defeat
Phil Taylor has warned his rivals that he will come back stronger than ever after suffering a shock second-round defeat to Dave Chisnall at the PDC World Championship.
The 15-time world champion departed the competition at the earliest stage of his career after a disastrous night on the doubles saw him slide to a 4-1 reverse at Alexandra Palace.
Taylor, 51, has now won the event just twice since 2007 and, although it would be foolish to write off a man of his calibre completely, his advancing years have prompted question over how much longer he can continue in a sport he has dominated for two decades.
But, speaking to
Sky Sports HD2 immediately after his exit, Taylor vowed to practice harder than ever to ensure he regains the title before he walks away from the oche for good.
He said: "I'm not going to knock my performance, I thought he was the better player. He was brilliant and I think the only thing missing for Dave tonight was the nine-darter.
Confidence
"My eye-sight is not half as good as it was before. The heat got to me tonight as well. That's never happened before. It's something I've got to work on. I am a worker, I'll go back home and try and put things right.
"It's up to me now to work harder. I'm going to do another two or three years then I'll slide away quietly. I'm not retiring yet. I'm going to try harder in the next two or three years than I have ever done in my career."
Taylor revealed that he hit a nine-darter in practice ahead of the match, but cited his missed 87 checkout in the opening leg as a turning point in the encounter.
"I've had a good run leading up to this tournament, I've been playing really, really well. Sometimes it doesn't work, sometimes it does.
"I felt great walking up the stairs, I hit a nine-darter in practice but it just didn't happen.
"The 87 I missed in the first leg really knocked my confidence and I don't know why. I couldn't get it out my head whereas normally I just forget about it.
"Dave was the better player. When he took that fourth set it was a massive blow for me. I was trying but I just wasn't good enough."
