The fact that Brazilian Filipe Toledo missed the US Open due to injury and is surfing in Tahiti is not seen by the WSL as a fault, the institution's press officer, Dave Prodan, informed DUKE.

As he exemplified in an email, “it is a similar situation to Slater, just because a person can surf does not mean they are at the high levels needed to compete.”

Prodan was referring to the much-criticized situation experienced by Slater for going to surf the swell of the decade in Fiji, saying he was injured and missing the Keramas CT (having done the same for the Rio de Janeiro event after surfing in the Founders Cup).

He also reported that Toledo submitted a medical report. Asked if he could share it, he said the WSL did not share them.

That report, as established by the WSL rule book, exonerates Filipe from paying a fine of 10.000 dollars for missing the highest category QS in the area in which he competes.

What is clear is that Filipe's strategy for the title is the best one. The Brazilian has shown on several occasions that tubular lefts are his main weakness. Perhaps this extra time in Polynesia will help.