Phil 'The Power' Taylor

 Last December everyone was saying I was all washed up and that I'd never become world champion ever again. I'd won the title 13 times, but not for the past three years but there was a reason for this. I was trying a new stance, new flights, new darts, and just about anything else new to improve myself as a darts player. But I was also fed up with all the pressure of always being expected to win. Losing any final was always seen as a major shock. At Christmas I thought all those who had written me off were a bunch of w***ers. Winning the world title for a 14th time, and getting back to being number one, was as sweet as the first time. And the good news is, I reckon I'm better now than ever.

Before I made the changes I was averageing 102 but now it's more like 115. People always ask me where I get my hunger from to keep on winning but to me it's a daft question. Any multiple winners in any sport think the same way. It's about being the best today, not yesterday, and I plan to remain the best for at least another five years. I think it all goes back to how I started out in the Potteries. In my early twenties I was working in a ceramics factory from 7.30 to 4.00, then dashing home, changing into overalls, and becoming a car mechanic, and every Thursday to Sunday night I'd also work behind a pub bar. I knew I possessed a natural talent at darts and so, in 1990, I gave up all the jobs and concentrated full-time on becoming a professional darts player.

That was the same year I became world champion for the first time. For the first four years I was known simply as "Phil Taylor from The Potteries," but the floor manager from Sky TV, Peter Judge, decided one day I needed a nickname. He was mulling over a few ideas when he trod on a CD on the floor and broke it. When he picked it up he saw it was a song called "The Power" by a band called Snap. "That's it," he shouted. "From now on you're "The Power." I told him to bog off but I warmed to it over the years and now almost everyone calls me by my nickname rather than by my real name, except for my mother who refers to me as "Philip" when I've done something wrong. There's not a day that passes when I don't remember my roots. In some respects I've been very lucky. When I started out as a professional darts player I had no idea that the sport would become as big as it has today. I hoped I'd make a living out of it. In 1990, for example, I won £24K for winning the world title. In fact, out of 50 tournaments I entered, I won 48 of them and my total prize winnings for the year was £76K which, of course, was a very decent salary for me, but nothing like it is today.

I'm very lucky in that I seemed to have maintained my popularity, which is unusual in Britain because everyone loves the underdog. I remember Steve Davis being the most unpopular sportsman in the country when he was winning the snooker world championship every year. As soon as he started to lose everyone loved him. He's decided to continue playing the game, even though he is not getting close to winning titles any more. I could not do that. When I quit - and I'll wake up one morning and just know it is time - I want to stop at the top. Peter Williams, Robbie's Dad, has told me that. He spent much of his life touring the country as a singer and entertainer, but one day he just knew the time had come.

Peter's like a second Dad to me, and Robbie's become one of my best mates, and not just because we're both Port Vale supporters, which hasn't been easy with Stoke doing so well in the Premiership. To be fair, I don't mind Stoke. In fact, went to the Britannia Stadium about ten times last season, where it is always a fantastic atmosphere. Their star striker, Ricardo Fuller, lives virtually next door to me, and the manager, Tony Pulis, lives just down the road.

My dream would be to see a Potteries Premiership derby between Stoke and Vale but both Robbie and I know it will never happen. You can forget about the rubbish you read in the newspapers about Rob. He's one of the most down to earth people you'll ever meet. He's desperate to beat me at darts, but it hasn't happened yet, and I don't think it ever will. He's not a bad player, but as I'll never throw a game just so that he can win, he knows it's very unlikely it's ever going to happen. I console him by telling him I'm a terrible singer! Robbie is up on me when it comes to Rage Buggy Racing, which we both love to do at his home near Swindon, where he has a track in the woods on his grounds. A Rage Buggy is like a go-kart with a metal frame and so far he and his mate Jonathan Wilkes are around six seconds faster than me on a circuit, which takes him around 2 minutes, 28 seconds. At the moment he has the advantage over me, especially at the corners, but I'm a fast learner and I believe that the next time we'll race I'll beat him. Rob won't be happy about that because, like me, he's very competitive, so he may have to find something else to challenge me at if I'm on top at darts and rage buggying. There's always karaoke. Now, if he can't beat me at that, then he's got real problems!    

 PDC World Championship Darts 2009 is available now on both Nintendo Wii and DS formats from all good game retailers.