It’s lonely at the top, they say. Photo: Heff/WSL
For the innumerable friendships Kelly Slater has cultivated over nearly three decades of traveling around the world to compete, he isn’t immune to bouts of loneliness.
In a vulnerable moment on a recent episode of the Olympic Channel podcast, Slater opened up about personal struggles with mental health.
“I sometimes wake up and feel totally alone in this world, which probably sounds strange to people,” he said. “I think it happens to people who have had a great deal of success in their lives. I’ve heard that happens to other people. I sometimes feel just, like, super alone and like people don’t quite relate to me… even my brother.”
“I sometimes wake up and feel totally alone in this world.” @kellyslater has had a successful career, but he has had to deal with loneliness that even his family have struggled to understand.
Full video: https://t.co/eYcUUhH2lh @TeamUSA @ISAsurfing pic.twitter.com/5XCbm8Hkeu
— Olympic Channel (@olympicchannel) December 10, 2019
Slater goes on to explain that he often feels misunderstood by family, and that if those closest to him can’t understand him, how can fans?
“You know, I’ve had this thing with my older brother where he just has, for a long time, thought ‘everything was just great for Kelly’ and he doesn’t realize that I have my own challenges and things that are really tough for me to express or communicate or deal with or resolve,” said Slater. “Sometimes even somebody in your family doesn’t understand that, so how can somebody who’s seen you in a magazine? They have no idea what your life’s like.”
In the sprawling interview, Slater candidly reflects on his motivation to compete early in his career – his hunger to win being the direct result of a failed relationship.
“When I was 21 years old I was engaged, I was doing really well; making money, winning, blah blah blah, and then the next year I found out I was totally broke – in debt actually – and my relationship fell apart and I almost fell off the tour,” Slater explained. “So I just went ‘Okay, I’m going to get this thing together and see how far I can go with it.’ That was where I went five years in a row winning the world title.”
Slater is still in the running for the second and final slot on Team USA’s Olympic roster, but to claim it he’ll have to better John John Florence and Seth Moniz at the Billabong Pipe Masters, which concludes Friday. Stay tuned.
