Roxy Pro 2016: Tyler Wright targets world surfing crown after teenage burn out nearly derailed career

IT’S been the ride of her life but surfer Tyler Wright has revealed she feared she would wipe out of surfing before she had a chance to seriously challenge for a world crown.

IT’S been the ride of her life but surfer Tyler Wright has revealed she feared she would wipe out of surfing before she had a chance to seriously challenge for a world crown.

The 21-year-old former child prodigy has opened up about being a teenager star of surf, admitting she came close to pulling the plug on her career numerous times.

At 14 and on a day off from school, Wright did something not even surfing legend Kelly Slater has been able to achieve — becoming the youngest surfer, male or female, to win a world tour event.

Tyler Wright cools off at the Australian Open in March.

At 16 she became one of the youngest surfers on the world tour and at 18 she says she was “burnt out”.

“I did stop enjoying the sport for sure,’’ she said. “But I never stopped loving the sport. I just stopped liking it.

“I consider myself burnt out at 18. But if you had told me I couldn’t surf I would have had a hissy fit.

“I was very close to giving it away. In my heart I had quit.’’

Three years on and with the support of family and close friends, one of the most precociously talented surfers of her era has “grown up heaps” and finally found a happy place — along with the will to win her maiden world crown.

Tyler Wright during last year’s World Surf League.

Key to this is her decision to bring on board as her coach former world tour surfer Glenn Hall from Newcastle.

“Five years into my career and I realise I have so much more to learn and my mind is now open to it,’’ Wright acknowledged.

“And I know there is so much room for improvement. I have never had a pro coach before to teach me how to surf and compete.

“It’s nice to have someone around who has been in the sport a long time and has a real balance in life. It’s exciting.’’

Surfer Tyler Wright is back in love with surfing. Pic: Dan Warbrick/Rip Curl

Wright, opening her title campaign in the Roxy pro on the Gold Coast, said now she has a coach she is surprised at how close she had been to winning a maiden world crown in the past.

“I question how I got so close without that sort of help,’’ she said.

“Now I look at things with someone aboard and I see endless possibilities.”

One of those possibilities is potentially being a world champion by the end of the year.

Tyler Wright was a former teen star who won her first World Tour event at just 14.

“It has taken me a long time to get to this point and just say I want to win it and I want to do everything I can to win it,’’ she said.

“I realise I do care.’’

Wright, returning six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore and multiple runner-up Sally Fitzgibbons represent a formidable Australian contingent all with the goal of regaining surfing’s No.1 mantle from the US.

Hawaiian Carissa Moore is the current world champion with compatriot Courtney Conlogue the No. 2 surfer in the world.