Phil Taylor's darts career OVER as legend, 64, forced to withdraw from final tournament

Phil Taylor has been forced to withdraw from the World Seniors Masters, which would have been his final-ever tournament as he struggles to recover from hip surgery.

Taylor won 16 World Championships during his professional career, but retired in 2018 after losing the World Championship final to Rob Cross. He returned to competitive darts in 2022 in the World Seniors Darts Championship.

The Power had hoped to officially bring time to his storied time at the oche in the World Seniors Masters in November. But after undergoing hip surgery in the summer, Taylor has confirmed he is no longer able to play.

"I'm struggling a bit with my hip. Scar tissue," Taylor 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," he reveals. "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."

Taylor had earlier revealed he would be leaving the darts stage for good at the end of the year. He said: "It's been an unbelievable journey over the past 35 years and I've loved every minute of it.

"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. 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."

Taylor lifted his first PDC World Championship crown in 1995, kicking off a run of eight successive victories in that tournament. His 16th and last world title came in 2013, having reached 21 finals in total.

The Stoke-born star was the dominant player in darts for much of his career, winning the Premier League six times and leading England to lifting the World Cup on four occassions. In total, he won 214 professional titles, including a record 85 majors.

His success saw him nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2006 and 2010, finishing as runner-up in the latter year. Away from titles, Taylor also broke a number of records, including becoming the first person to hit two nine-dart finishes in the same match.

Back in January, Taylor suffered an early exit in his final World Senior Darts Championship appearance after being beaten 3-2 by Germany’s Manfred Bilderl. Taylor had battled back from two sets down to win the next two and take the contest to a decider, but Bilderl prevailed to reach the second-round.