Can You Believe Filipe is Still Only 21?

When Filipe burst onto the world tour scene as a 17-year-old he redefined aerial “make-rates” and the term “full-rote” was crafted two redefine what he did to the air reverse. When he won the Quik Pro in 2015, world title talk followed him wherever he went. But, there’s also a downside to being a specialist. If you’re too good at something or something is too easy or readily available, it loses its potency. Filipe is still the world’s most consistent surfer but the full rote from Filipe is now standard fare.This edit is part of Filipe’s evolution to be regarded more in waves with push, featuring his free surf sessions from his recent time in West Oz. He’ll own the US Open for the next five years but Filipe’s PR team are showing that he’s more than pirouettes and tail slides. We saw last week that power surfing still evolves and Filipe’s challenge as a world title contender is to show that he has that depth to mix it with the big boys at Cloudbreak and Teahupoo. No matter your prejudice on Filipe, you have to applaud the fact he’s still (just!) 21!  His exposure to real waves only happened once he was on tour. After three more years experience, he’ll only be 25. Food for thought, at least.