The greatest of all time, Kelly Slater, will not be in Newcastle due to various injuries he has been carrying, Stab and BeachGrit magazine reported, citing sources but also presenting a statement from the champion.

According to them, Kelly's foot, which was fractured in Jbay in 2017, continues to give him problems in addition to suffering from hip pain and  ankles.

Slater’s statement reads: “I’ve been battling some injuries to both ankles since the Pipe Masters, and I have an injury to my right hip. This week this has left me unable to surf. It’s tough for me because I love Australia so much and miss the time I usually spend there. I’m going to have to use this time to get back to a level of fitness I never really got back to and stop being in constant pain. Good luck to my fellow competitors and I hope to see you all again soon.”

A charter flight with the world's best surfers will depart from Los Angeles to Sydney today. The surfers will undergo a two-week quarantine to compete first in Newcastle, then in Narrabeen, Margaret River and Rottnest Island.

Slater is not going to be on that plane.

According to Stab, it is more likely that he will be in the Western Australian stages.

BeachGrit journalist Derek Rielly wrote: “I suggest the sands of time have finally caught up with the man whose invincibility and longevity kept professional surfing alive. There will be no title fights at 50 years of age.”

Slater is 50 and had recently said he might go for that feat.

He has not yet expressed any comments on the matter on his social networks.