With the contest window of the Billabong Pro Teahupoo opening in less than five days, one of the more intriguing story lines will be the return of former three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons to the ASP World Tour.

Andy, who has struggled the past couple of years on the tour, decided late last season to take a year off (with full blessing from his title sponsor Billabong). Andy is hoping the time off will give him a sense of resurgence ala Kelly Slater, and it'll be interesting to see how Andy surfs in his first contest since he was ousted early at Pipe.

Another storyline worth mentioning is Kelly Slater's continually slimming chances at winning World Title #10. And Slater isn't shy about the topic. "The pressure of 10 isn't a bad thing but it's not something you want to think about all the time either," said Slater. "I'm not happy to have such a slow start, but it's good fuel for doing something if I can get motivated for it. It's all how you view it. I don't expect to have an easy heat at this event to start, more likely one of the hardest heats to begin with. If I can get past at least one wildcard this year, I might actually have a chance to get a result!"

The contest window for the Billabong Pro Teahupoo opens on May 9th.