Kelly Slater, widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time, said Tuesday “this feels like the end” after being knocked out of a competition in Australia and losing his place on the world tour.
The 52-year-old American, an 11-time world champion, was already out of contention for a spot at the Paris Olympics this summer.
“This feels like the end,” he said, fighting back tears, following elimination from a World Surf League event at Margaret River, near Perth.
Slater did not definitively say he was retiring and has hinted several times before that his professional surfing career was over.
He also said on Tuesday that he had asked…
