In a very Kelly Slater-esque move, the best in history may have just announced his retirement from the 2023 CT: “I’m done for the year. I may be done for good (with my participation) in Portugal… We’ll see,” said the best in history after making an innocent tour of the athletes’ area.

Filmed by one of his assistants, he showed how the athletes' area has video games, a golf area, a sauna and at the end of the tour, he sends the bombshell that his year is over.

With two 17s and a ninth, Slater is actually in a decent zone to bet on making the mid-year cut in the two Australian stages.

He's said he wants to go to Paris 2024 and his chances of doing so are slim: Qualify through this CT or be qualified by the U.S. men's team at the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games. With John John and Nat Young not having fared as well, the second U.S. CT berth is still within reach of the best ever (Griffin has pulled away quite a bit), although there are only three stages left.

We'll have to wait and see what happens in Australia, or for Kelly to clarify what plans she has.