"Slater is the most successful surfer of all time and has 56 victories in world circuit events, five of which were in Teahupo'o, Tahiti (2000, 2003, 2005, 2011 and 2016), and four in Cloudbreak, Fiji (2005, 2008, 2011 and 2012)", WSL highlighted in a statement.

At 52 years old, Kelly Slater was ranked 32nd in the world ranking and was cut from the middle of the WSL season (as was Portuguese Frederico Morais, in 29th), being demoted to the secondary circuit for the second consecutive year.

However, the 'king of surfing' received an invitation from the WSL to compete 100% on the world circuit in 2024, which kept him competing among the elite, but that will no longer happen in 2025, as the WSL revealed today that one of the 'wildcards' for the next season will go to Brazilian João Chianca, who missed this season due to injury, and the other to two-time world champion Filipe Toledo (Brazil), who is the title holder but opted to take a break from his career this year.

On the women's side, Australian Stephanie Gilmore, eight-time world champion, who also interrupted her professional career in 2024, and American Lakey Peterson, who fell below the 'cut', were invited to return to compete on the elite circuit in 2025.

As for Kelly Slater, after falling again below the WSL 'cut' and also failing to achieve the stated goal of competing in the Paris2024 Olympic Games, as had happened with Tokyo2020, in the debut of the sport, the greatest surfer of all time admitted about a week ago, when he was eliminated from the Margaret River stage, in Australia, that he would stop competing full time.

But he immediately left open the possibility of participating in some events as a guest, even saying that he would like to compete in the events in Tahiti, Fiji and Hawaii (Pipeline). The first two wishes will be fulfilled in May (Teahupo'o) and August (Cloudbreak).

Also competing in Tahiti - where the Paris2024 surfing competition will take place - is Hawaiian Carissa Moore, five-time world champion who decided to take a sabbatical year in 2024 but accepted the invitations for the first stage of the year, in Pipeline, and now for Teahupo'o, in an excellent training for the Games in which she will participate for the United States.

The WSL also announced that Kelly Slater will also participate in the first event of the Challenger Series (secondary circuit), on the Gold Coast, Australia, which starts on April 27 and in which Portuguese Frederico Morais will also be present.

It is the Challenger Series that gives access to the main WSL circuit, with six stages planned, one of them, the fifth and penultimate, at Praia de Ribeira D'Ilhas, in Ericeira, between September 29 and October 06.