Adrian Lewis, also known as Jackpot, is a darts legend many professional darts players look up to. He has been competing professionally for a long period of time and managed to conquer myriad trophies throughout his career.
In 2011, he became the PDC World Champion for the first time. Lewis was also the first player who hit a nine-darter in a world final. He has been a regular at all major PDC tournaments, winning different prizes at World Cup of Darts matches and other major darts events. Learn more about this champion’s life and career.
Lewis was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, in 1985. By the time he was 18, he had already discovered his vocation. At 18, he won the 2003 British Teenage Open. This was the year when he also started competing professionally in the British Darts Organization (BDO).
In 2004, Lewis was already participating in his first televised darts match – the World Grand Prix. His first major title was also conquered in 2004 when he managed to outperform Colin Lloyd and win the Chris de Roo Open.
In 2005, Adrian managed to reach the quarter-final of the World Matchplay and enter the top 32 dart players worldwide. 2005 was also the year when he won UK Open Scottish Regional and the PDPA Players Championship during the same weekend.
In 2006, this player was already taking part in the PDC World Championship where he reached the quarter-finals. The same year, he showcased an outstanding performance at the World Series of Darts, a match broadcasted on ESPN, which brought him international fame and recognition.
In 2007, Lewis participated in the World Matchplay and the World Championship. In 2008, he also reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship and gained a place in the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts.
In 2009, Adrian Lewis conquered his first PDC Pro Tour by defeating Carlos Rodriguez at the Austrian Players Championship. In 2010, Lewis beat for the first time a Phil Tailor in a televised match during the World Grand Prix.
2011 brought Adrian his first world championship victory. He won the 2011 PDC World Darts Championship after defeating Gary Anderson. He also became the first player who threw a nine-dart finish during a World Championship final and became the fifth-youngest player who managed to win the World Championship.
2012 was also a glorious year in Adrian’s career as he managed to defend his world championship title and became once again the winner of the PDC World Championship after beating Andy Hamilton in the finals. This victory also raised his status to number two player in the PDC Order Merit. Another victory from the same year was the 2012 PDC World Cup of Darts against Phil Taylor.
In 2013, Lewis managed to preserve his World Cup of Darts champion title. The same year, he reached the quarter-finals of the UK Open. He also won the 2013 European Championship by securing a victory against Simon Whitlock and the Players Championship by defeating Brendan Dolan.
The 2013 Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals saw Lewis competing against Phil Taylor in the highest quality match in history where Lewis averaged 110.99 and Taylor Taylor - 109.7. This match broke the world record by marking 180's with 32.
In 2014, Lewis reached the semi-finals of the World Championship and the finals of the UK Open where he won the competition by defeating Terry Jenkins.
In the 2015 edition of the Premier League, Adrian marked his highest televised average by defeating Raymond van Barneveld 7-1. The same year, he also won the UK Open Qualifier against van Gerwen and the third Player’s Championship, and his first World Series of Darts title.
2016 saw Lewis in the World Championship finals once again. However, he didn’t manage to defeat his rival, Gary Anderson. Yet, consolation came soon as he won the UK Open Qualifier against Phil Taylor. The same year, together with Taylor, the duo won the World Cup against the Netherlands.
Although Adrian Lewis is one of the most controversial figures on the professional darts scene given the conflicts he often gave rise to during major tournaments, he also remains one of the most talented darts players of the past decades. If his story inspires you to become a better player, check out our darts gear and start honing your skills.
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