Injury keep Kelly Slater from competing at the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup

Legendary surfer Kelly Slater will not be on the WSL charter plane to Australia. The 11-time WSL champion is suffering from an injury that will delay his travel down under. Slater spoke to WSL about the injury and updates on the road to recovery.

“I’ve been struggling with recent and ongoing injuries in both ankles since the Pipe Masters event and I had a separate injury in my right hip (and maybe previously broken foot) this past week which has left me unable to surf,” Slater said. “It’s a tough one for me because I love Australia so much and miss the time I usually get to spend there each year. I’ll just have to use the time to get myself up to a level physically I never really got back to after my broken foot (in Jeffreys Bay in 2017) and get myself out of constant pain. Good luck to all my fellow competitors and I hope to see everyone back on tour soon.”

Slater is hoping to be cleared by doctors once he is evaluated in 30 days’ time. Young standout Mikey Wright from Australia will fill Slater’s spot in the upcoming Rip Curl Newcastle Cup presented by Corona.