Phil Taylor says he^s ready to reclaim world title
Phil Taylor leaned back in celebrity hairdresser Nicky Clarke^s salon yesterday and announced the time has comb for The Power to reclaim his world title.
And as he vowed to make amends for last year^s oche horror show at Alexandra Palace, world No.1 Taylor admitted: "I feel naked without my crown."
Do us all a favour, Phil, and keep your clothes on. But after two years of Power cuts on the big stage, the 13-times world champion is in the mood to turn Clarke^s shampoo into champagne at the Ladbrokes.com PDC Championship starting on December 19.
Pipped by Ray van Barneveld in a suddendeath thriller in the unforgettable 2007 final, Taylor surprisingly went out without a crimper in the quarter-finals against Wayne Mardle at Ally Pally last December.
Since then, the former £52-a-week toilet handle manufacturer has won virtually every major prize, including last month^s Grand Slam in Wolverhampton.
And from High Barnet to Shepton Mullet, the odds on Taylor, 48, making it 14 world titles are shorter than a short back and sides.
Speaking to promote Sky Sports^ high-definition coverage of the marathon 13-day tournament, he said: "It^s been so long since I held that trophy that I feel like an emperor without his robes - a king without his crown.
"And after the way I^ve been playing this year, I reckon I^ll never have a better chance of winning it again - in fact, if I don^t win it this year, I should retire.
"I would rather leave on my own terms than have somebody else come up to me one day saying, ^Bog off, you^re past it and we don^t need you any more^.
"Last year, it was a struggle just to reach the last eight and I was knackered. I wasn^t right.
Too many late nights, coming home at 2am from exhibitions and travelling thousands of miles I didn^t need. I was playing all right, but every sportsman needs his rest. And too often I was on the motorway when I should have been tucked up in bed.
Story By: Mirror.co.uk
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/2008/12/10/phil-taylor-says-he-s-ready-to-reclaim-world-title-115875-20960139/