Reigning world champion John John Florence has addressed the knee injury that forced him to miss the finish of stage 3 of the Tour in Uluwatu, Bali, starting this Friday.

In a video he posted on Instagram, he is first seen undergoing an MRI and then going over how he got injured (see below) by landing a frontside rollover (the same maneuver he attempted when he lost to Jesse Mendes).

According to Stab yesterday, the Hawaiian has torn ligaments and could miss more than one stage. The Hawaiian said that he has learned more than ever thanks to the bad start of the year and that he prefers to go home and heal in order to return to 100%.

This is what she wrote on her Instagram:

“This year has been a lot of fun no matter what the results were. Through the many losses I have learned more than in years past. This is why I love competing, the opportunity to learn is always there, winning or losing. I love the motivation to win that a loss gives you.”.

Unfortunately I injured my knee freesurfing here in Bali and I have to pull out of the next tournament to heal as quickly as possible. I was trying to do bottom turns on the grass last night to see if there is a chance to surf but nothing felt right (laughs)

I think the best deal is to get 100% back before I get back in the water. When I was a little kid I would watch my favorite surfers winning tournaments and trying big aerials and big moves and I would dream of doing those things. I will never lose that. I am looking forward to everything that is to come and I hope to come out of this injury more ready and excited than I have ever been.”

With this, Mikey Wright gets a free pass to round 4 of the tournament.

Related reading: Reviving the Margaret River Pro, now Uluwatu Pro

This year has been so much fun regardless of my results. Through some of the tough losses I have learned more than I have in the past couple years. That's why I love competing — the chance to learn is always there, win or lose. I love the drive to win you get from a loss. I feel like I'm more driven to win than ever from this year. Unfortunately I hurt my knee during a freesurf here in Bali, and I have to pull out of the next event to get back and heal up as quickly as possible. I was trying bottom turns in the yard last night to see if there is any way for me to possibly surf this event, but nothing about it felt right. Haha! I think it's best I heal 100% before I get back in the water. When I was a little kid I watched my favorite surfers winning events and trying big airs and big maneuvers and dreamed of doing those things. I will never lose that. I'm excited for everything to come. I hope to come out of this injury smarter and more excited than I have ever been.

A publication shared by John John Florence (@john_john_florence) the 5 Jun 2018 has 1: 46 PDT

On the other hand, on John John's other IG account, the coach, Ross Williams said that like any person after losing, he tries to decompress, and to decompress the Hawaiian's style is to do big aerials in powerful sections. "I was nervous when he rowed, I knew he was wanting to jump. At one point I made signs for him to calm down a bit," wrote the former CT.