โAm I done?โ
Tyler Wright has asked herself bigger questions.
Most notably, โAm I going to survive?โ when a debilitating bout of post-viral syndrome left her bedridden for periods for more than a year, a cruel postscript to back-to-back world titles by the age of 23.
Now a few days short of her 32nd birthday, Wrightโs body has been through the wringer and then some during the past few years. Skull expansion surgery and the seven screws in her head eased breathing issues that had her โbasically semi-suffocatingโ in and out of the water.
But the operation also exacerbated head knocks and concussion symptoms.
Her 2025 season began with triumph at Pipeline โ becoming the first woman to win the iconic Hawaii event twice โ and an ankle injury in the final, as well as damage to the C3, C4 and C5 vertebrae in her neck.
By August, she added two slipped discs in her back, hip and pelvis issues, and didnโt surf for the next seven months.
โSo yeah, thereโs definitely been times where I did sit down and ask myself this summer, โAm I done?โโ Wright says.
โIโve been injured so many times in the last couple of years. Mentally, it takes its toll.
โItโs probably the most serious Iโve been about those questions, because competing and still chasing the tour around the world is something that I donโt want to pressure myself into.
โIf it works, it works. And when it doesnโt โฆ obviously in the last couple of years Iโve felt like Iโm closer to wrapping up than keeping my career going.
โMentally, you do ask yourself, โHow much more can I put my body through? Is this really a great idea to keep going and pushing myself?โ
Wright only made it back into the water in mid-January. Since last winter, even sitting and standing has caused her grief.
โSitting in the car for 10 minutes โ that was a nightmare,โ she said.
Having won her first WCT event at the age of 14, Wrightโs 16th year on tour would have been in jeopardy if not for the revamped WSL schedule that has pushed the season back two months.
Wright will begin her 2026 campaign at Bells Beach โ where sheโs claimed victory twice โ aware a hampered preparation has her well behind rivals such as world champion Molly Picklum and returning greats Steph Gilmore and Carissa Moore.
She will also surf for the first time in her career without the backing of sponsorship giant Rip Curl. Wright and three-time Brazilian menโs world champion Gabriel Medina are notable absentees from the Rip Curl roster this season, in a landscape where endorsements are everything to an athleteโs earnings.
An especially intensive past four months of rehab with renowned Melbourne neuro-orthopaedic specialist Brett Jarosz has Wright back on her feet once more, and intrigued specifically by the shape sheโs in.
Jarosz was influential in getting Wright back in the water when her 2018 recovery from influenza A and post-viral syndrome stripped 18 kilos from her frame.
She is now back to 75 kilos, similar to when her power and aggression on the wave face secured her the 2016 and 2017 world titles.
โAnd thatโs part of why I keep going, how I keep answering those questions of do I want to keep pushing my body,โ Wright says while promoting Kayoโs coverage of the 2026 WSL season.
โI love learning about the brain, the body, the mechanics and foundational aspects of the body. Iโm intrigued about how my surfing will go with this very different build-up.
โAnd I know I still love not only riding waves, but competing. Competing is still the funnest shit you can do to me. You can do everything right and still lose your heat, do everything wrong and somehow win. Thatโs absolutely asinine, and itโs so funny to me.
โThatโs part of the spark that keeps me going โ I still really enjoy the absolute chaos of surfing. But there have been a lot of doubts and fears with it for the last few years.โ
Wrightโs wife, Lilli, has been instrumental throughout her rehab. So too, the psychologist she sees regularly.
But along with her bodyโs frequent protests, Wright knows she will likely spend parts of 2026 wrestling with her own pragmatism and competitiveness.
โObviously this is a late run into the season for me, and thatโs OK. I have to keep reminding myself,โ she says.
โIโm a pretty direct person, especially with myself. Youโre not up to standard, youโre not up to scratch is a bit heavy when you havenโt surfed in seven months.
โIโm still learning to add context to that โ hey, you were still in pain in mid-January. Thereโs definitely nerves there. But Iโm pretty stoked to be back going around again, tooโ.
Dan Walsh is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
