Darts: I'm ready for the fight again, says Taylor

Phil Taylor has issued a warning to his rivals ahead of the PDC World Darts Championship, declaring: "I've got the fight back."

The world No 1 endured a difficult start to the year after his defeat to Raymond van Barneveld in last year's final, but he has bounced back in recent months and goes into the championship at Alexandra Palace having won four successive tournaments.

Taylor, who faces Michael van Gerwen on Tuesday, has embarked on a new fitness regime this year and has experimented with new darts in his attempts to fine-tune a game which has been at the pinnacle of world darts for well over a decade.

"I know exactly what was wrong and I've not been dedicated," Taylor said. "I was doing other things and when I do something I try to do it the best I can. So when I started the training I went mad at it for example, instead of doing 20 minutes on a treadmill I was doing an hour.

"I wasn't concentrating on what I should have. But even though I was getting beaten, I was only just getting beaten, so I knew in my heart I'd be back.

"The only thing I'm worried about ahead of the World Championship is that I've been a bit tired recently, but my form's good. I was getting beaten and thought it didn't matter, but now I want to win again."