Kelly Slater and Muhammad Ali are two names that are synonymous with greatness in their respective sports. Slater is widely regarded as the greatest of all time, with 11 World Surf League titles to his name. Ali, on the other hand, is often considered as the greatest heavyweight of all time, with a record of 56 wins and only 5 losses. While one can draw innumerable positives from their career a strange analogy was made by the experts. 

Despite their greatness, both athletes experienced defeats towards the end of their careers that led to comparisons being made between the two.

Kelly Slater’s dry spell is becoming of concern

The second season of the Surfing series “Make Or Break” is streaming on AppleTV. The first episode of the special starts with a discussion about Slater’s current form and performances. The iconic career of the 11x WSL champion has seen a dry spell for quite some time now, since it has been more than a decade since he won his last world title. The trajectory of his career in recent years has drawn comparisons with that of boxing. 

Luke Kennedy, editor of Tracks magazine gave words to the analogy with precision. He said, “I think the analogy that often gets used in sport is the Muhammad Ali analogy. He probably had a few too many fights and the legacy was tainted”. Kennedy further added the possibility of Slater’s career going down the same path. “I think the worst-case scenario is that Kelly sort of has three or four really bad results in a row and that’s the last memory we have of Kelly Slater”. Slater has suffered a string of losses in recent years, leading many to question whether he is past his prime.

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 Slater’s recent performance

Slater’s last major victory came in 2016. In 2019, Slater lost in the quarter-finals of the Pipeline Masters, the last event of the season, and failed to qualify for the Olympics. His recent performance at the Rip Curl Pro in Portugal, also came as a shock to his fans. 

The 51-year-old’s latest participation came in the Mediterranean Sea during the Meo Rip Curl Pro. However, his elimination shocked the surfing world. After the match, his interview left the audience with many speculations. 

When asked about his performance, Slater’s response was precise as he said, “I lost”. Slater gracefully accepted his defeat with a smile, and further gave a cryptic answer about whether it would be his last appearance in Portugal. It would be interesting to know how things unfold for the legend.

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