Cover photo by WSL: Slater supporting his hip, which was operated on as a tube technician at Teahupoo. 

The greatest surfer in history, Kelly Slater, underwent surgery on his left hip last week, he announced on his Instagram account where he posted a photo of himself watching the finals, lying in a leg brace.

“On the couch after hip surgery,” Kelly wrote, taking the opportunity to comment on how the finals were coming along.

According to what Stab was able to gather, the surgery was long overdue. Slater stated: “I re-injured it in 2022 and I’ve been dealing with it ever since. I probably needed surgery for a few years before that injury. The doctor said it was time for surgery and it looked like a war zone when he took one look at it. I’m lucky I got this far with this but it makes me feel better knowing why I was in so much pain for so long. I should be fine in a few months.”

Slater's surgery came just days before the WSL finals, which she failed to qualify for, and after a document was made public that essentially dashed her hopes of qualifying for Paris 2024, where she said she wanted to retire.