{"id":731627,"date":"2026-06-28T20:37:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T20:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/731627\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T20:37:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T20:37:05","slug":"why-ben-shelton-trinity-rodmans-relationship-wins-all-the-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/731627\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Ben Shelton & Trinity Rodman’s Relationship Wins All the Points"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally appeared on E! Online<\/a><\/p>\n

For the second year in a row, Trinity Rodman<\/a> will be serving looks of love at Wimbledon as Ben Shelton seeks to win his first Grand Slam title.<\/p>\n

The highest-paid women’s soccer player<\/a> in the world was front and center in the tennis<\/a> star’s cheering section at the 2025 tournament alongside his mom Lisa Shelton, dad Bryan Shelton and sister Emma Shelton. The Washington Spirit forward also turned heads with a series of designer looks as her boyfriend made it to the quarterfinals, where he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.<\/p>\n

But at more low-key tournaments (which, compared to Wimbledon, is all of them) and while living life in general, Rodman is known for sporting custom Shelton merch, such as the “BEN 10” tank-top she was wearing June 14 when he won the BOSS Open in Stuttgart, Germany.<\/p>\n

“I won a title at I think every tournament she’s been at this year,” the 23-year-old said from the court as Rodman, having just flown in from playing with the U.S. Women’s National Team in Brazil, looked on. “You’re definitely the good luck charm, so I really appreciate you making the effort.”<\/p>\n

More from E! Online<\/p>\n

As she wrote on Instagram<\/a> afterward, “#1 fan I love you.” Shelton replied in the comments, “Mine,” with a heart emoji.<\/p>\n

Yes, these two are sweeter than strawberries and cream.<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

Christian Kaspar-Bartke\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

And Shelton is also happy to get on a plane when possible to catch Rodman at work, jetting to a Spirit game<\/a> after shoulder pain forced him to retire during his third-round match at the 2025 U.S. Open last August.<\/p>\n

Rodman had been in New York for his opening match\u2014”My girlfriend took the red eye from California last night to be here,” Shelton told the crowd after his win\u2014and crashed his post-match press conference<\/a> to troll him about his slightly slower than usual serve. (He returned the favor after she had a two-goal game in September, taking the field to interview her for ESPN<\/a>. When she cracked up, he said, “I’m gonna be the bigger man, I’m gonna keep it positive.”)<\/p>\n

\"Trinity<\/p>\n

Scott Taetsch\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

But when it came to his disappointing U.S. Open exit, she was all heart, posting to her Instagram Stories, “You are strength and dedication. I love you, and you\u2019ll be back stronger.”<\/p>\n

Shelton duly consoled Rodman from his front-row seat in November when the Spirit came up short in the NWSL Championship match, losing to Gotham FC.<\/p>\n

But stomaching the occasional loss comes with the program, and they’ll both have their game faces on as Wimbledon gets underway June 29.<\/p>\n

\"Trinity<\/p>\n

Lyndsay Radnedge\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Coming into the third Grand Slam of the year, Shelton is ranked No. 5 in the world\u2014and is seeded No. 4, thanks to Carlos Alcaraz skipping the tournament as he continues his recovery from a wrist injury.<\/p>\n

Of course, with great skill comes great expectations, and that’s where having a girlfriend who gets it comes in. Both athletes are adept at this point at shutting out the noise and thriving in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cOutside pressures do nothing but put your own expectations too high and start impacting every little detail of your game,\u201d Rodman, whose father is Dennis Rodman<\/a>, told Red Bull<\/a> in May 2025.<\/p>\n

Shelton said he tries “not to focus on proving myself as much as I focus on improving my game,” telling Thorne<\/a> in April 2025, “Pressure is always there, but as we say in tennis, pressure is a privilege. I channel that into my game by staying present, fighting for every point, and seizing the energy on the biggest stage.”<\/p>\n

Rodman was first photographed watching Shelton play in April 2025 at the BMW Open in Munich, a month after he hard-launched their relationship<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n

“I’m obviously very happy and hopefully some of the world’s happy,” Rodman said on SportsCenter a couple weeks after the reveal. “It’s in the public eye, so I can’t really do much about that.”<\/p>\n

\"Trinity<\/p>\n

Mike Hewitt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Their romance sped up faster than Shelton’s 150 mph first serve in the ensuing months, Rodman captioning a Jan. 1 photo<\/a> of the pair kissing, “2025 you were somethin\u2026 thank you for bringing me my soulmate.”<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

Trinity Rodman\/Instagram<\/p>\n

And the competitive couple don’t just appreciate each other’s athletic prowess. A reel posted on Wimbledon’s Instagram<\/a> June 23 showed Shelton showing off some fancy footwork with a soccer ball during a practice session at the All-England Club, and he’s been giving Rodman tennis lessons.<\/p>\n

“I’m getting really good at tennis,” she told TNT Sports<\/a> in January. And “he’s really good at soccer, it’s really bizarre.”<\/p>\n

She even told him to edit out a piece of video they shot on the pitch in which she came at him left-footed and “he destroyed me,” Rodman said with a laugh. “But once I’m able to beat him in a point or something, a rally, then I’ll maybe set the tripod up.”<\/p>\n

While these two work on their mixed doubles game, find out more about the love lives of tennis’ biggest stars:<\/p>\n

Serena Williams<\/p>\n

\"<p>Serena<\/p>\n

Few people are strong enough to volley back and forth with the tennis great. But Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian showed off some real skills during their first 2015 date<\/a>. With Williams’ assistant and agent tagging along, “They just bombarded me with questions\u2014it was like two hours of interrogation,” he recounted in an episode of her 2024 ESPN+ docuseries In The Arena<\/a>. “‘Do I have kids? Am I married?’ Nothing was off limits.”<\/p>\n

Soon after, the answer to both was a firm yes, the pair welcoming daughter Olympia<\/a> in 2017 before marrying later that year. (Daughter Adira<\/a> rounded out the team in 2023.) <\/p>\n

“Having someone as special as Serena as a partner is a consistent reminder of self-improvement,” the tech entrepreneur explained to E! News<\/a> in 2023. “I knew I have found someone I was going to spend the rest of my life with because she was someone who I knew I would never outgrow.”<\/p>\n

Venus Williams<\/p>\n

\"<p>Venus<\/p>\n

The seven-time Grand Slam winner nearly faulted on her forever with Italian actor-producer Andrea Preti. In Lake Como with her sisters, she received a last-minute invite to the Gucci show at the 2024 Milan Fashion Week, she recounted to Vogue<\/a> ahead of their December 2025 vows<\/a>, “and decided to go on a whim, and Andrea was tired. Neither of us was planning on being there.”<\/p>\n

But he aced his pick-up line and soon after they found themselves roaming the streets of London. Following those initial dates, detailed Venus, “I just knew I was going to marry him. People always say they just know, and I just knew.” <\/p>\n

Jannik Sinner<\/p>\n

\"<p>Jannik<\/p>\n

Even as the top player in the world, the Italian athlete knew he could ace a strong relationship. “Of course it’s not easy, I travel a lot and during tournaments I’m very focused,” he noted to Vanity Fair Italia<\/a> in 2024. “But I think it’s a wonderful thing when you find the right love. If you think about it, the best tennis players in the world all have wives and children.”<\/p>\n

And he seems to have met his match in Danish model Laila Hasanovic. Hard launching their romance<\/a> in his 2025 Vienna Open victory speech, Sinner shared, “To understand me at times, it is not easy, but thank you for putting in the effort. Everyone here, with family, my girlfriend, friends.”<\/p>\n

Jessica Pegula<\/p>\n

\"<p>Jessica<\/p>\n

Well before the No. 4-ranked athlete wed fellow New York native Taylor Gahagen in 2021, they were in the same circuit. After Gahagen earned his MBA, he took a job working for her parents, who happen to own the Buffalo Bills. <\/p>\n

And though he no longer holds court at Pegula Sports and Entertainment, he’s still playing proverbial doubles with Pegula, serving as vice president of her skincare brand Ready 24 and helping run their charity, A Lending Paw. “We wanted to help people afford service dogs,” Pegula told Vogue<\/a> of their mission. “Not only is it about dogs helping people, it\u2019s about people helping dogs, because we only work with rescues. It goes both ways.”<\/p>\n

Aryna Sabalenka<\/p>\n

\"<p>Aryna<\/p>\n

Even after the WTA’s current top player won the Brisbane International tennis tournament in January 2026, she continued to serve. “Thank you to my boyfriend,” the Belarusian athlete shared<\/a>, adding pointedly to Georgios Frangulis, “hopefully soon I can call you something else.” <\/p>\n

Fortunately, the Brazilian businessman didn’t drop the ball. Two months later, he popped the question<\/a> to his partner of two years with a stunning 12-carat custom diamond. “It was super cute,” the Oakberry founder acknowledged in a June 2026 episode of the Open Residency podcast<\/a>, “but I was already planning to propose long before that.” <\/p>\n

Ben Shelton<\/p>\n

\"<p>Ben<\/p>\n

A new sporting power couple emerged when the tennis player and soccer star Trinity Rodman sealed their relationship with a kiss<\/a> on Instagram in March 2025. <\/p>\n

And she’s been a stalwart supporter throughout the Grand Slam tournaments, including slamming reporters who invoked her estranged dad Dennis Rodman<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Ben\u2019s matches he has his family there as his support system, which includes his dad,\u201d Rodman wrote on a July 2025 Instagram story, calling out the Wimbledon broadcasters for their commentary about her family. \u201cMy dads not even in MY life no need to bring him up during HIS matches when I don\u2019t even want him talked about during mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor Fritz<\/p>\n

\"<p>Taylor<\/p>\n

After the pair met on Raya, Fritz made his relationship with Morgan Riddle official in 2020 with the influencer continue to root him on as he worked his wayup the ATP rankings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met him and started travelling with him on the tour a few months later,\u201d she told<\/a> E! News in 2024. \u201cAnd now, it\u2019s been almost four years of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, in April 2026, Riddle confirmed that she and Fritz\u2014who was married to fellow tennis player Raquel Pedraza from 2016 to 2019 and welcomed son Jordan in 2017\u2014had broken up after six years together<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Coco Gauff<\/p>\n

\"<p>Coco<\/p>\n

For years, the two-time Grand Slam champ lobbed away any stories of her personal life. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I felt like I just, some parts of myself I love to share and then some parts I think I just keep to myself,\u201d she told People in March 2023. \u201cSo I do feel like my life is a little bit in my hands too.\u201d <\/p>\n

Still, boyfriend Jalen Sera\u2014an Atlanta-based musician whose fourth-grade teacher was coincidentally Gauff\u2019s mom\u2014has proven to be an important sounding board.<\/p>\n

“Last night, I started a little bit, but honestly, I just called my boyfriend,” Gauff told reporters about her 2023 US Open Win<\/a>. “And I told him let\u2019s talk until it’s time to go to sleep so we spoke until 1:00 am and then I went to sleep.”<\/p>\n

Grigor Dimitrov<\/p>\n

\"<p>Grigor<\/p>\n

Dimitrov and Eiza Gonz\u00e1lez made their relationship Instagram official in May 2025, just one month after sparking romance rumors<\/a>. And since then, the Baby Driver star hasn\u2019t held back in showing her support for the athlete\u2014including after he had to withdraw from the Wimbledon in early July 2025 due to a mid-match injury. <\/p>\n

\u201cLove of my life. I couldn\u2019t be more proud of you,\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez wrote on her Instagram Story at the time. “This is just a moment that will pass and will make you even stronger. But watching you today alongside the world was a reminder of who YOU are. You\u2019re a winner. We all saw it. And you\u2019ll do it again. I love you.”<\/p>\n

Alex De Minaur & Katie Boulter<\/p>\n

\"<p>Alex<\/p>\n

After almost five years of dating, the tennis stars announced their engagement in 2024, with Boulter captioning<\/a> the happy moment, \u201cWe\u2019ve been keeping a small secret.\u201d <\/p>\n

The pair met in 2020 at a hotel where they were both staying. “We bumped into each other at six in the morning and ended up getting a coffee,” Boulter recalled to the Sydney Morning Herald <\/a>in June 2024. “From that moment, I knew I was in it for the long haul.”<\/p>\n

Naomi Osaka<\/p>\n

\"<p>Naomi<\/p>\n

In January 2025, the four-time Grand Slam champion confirmed her breakup with rapper Cordae<\/a> after five years together<\/a>. And while emphasizing that they remain friends, she expressed gratitude over their romance as it brought them their 2023 arrival little girl Shai<\/a>. <\/p>\n

“Honestly really glad that our paths crossed because my daughter is my biggest blessing,” Osaka wrote at the time. “And I was able to grow a lot from our experiences together.”<\/p>\n

Tommy Paul<\/p>\n

\"<p>Tommy<\/p>\n

Paul may have the skills on the court, but his fianc\u00e9e<\/a> Paige Lorenze is a go-to coach when it comes to life outside the sport.<\/p>\n

“She’s been on me about, I guess it\u2019s self-care,” Paul told People<\/a> in April 2025 of the woman he partnered up with in 2022.”But just putting on more sunscreen and doing moisturizer at night.”<\/p>\n

Still, the Dairy Boy founder is no stranger to picking up a racket. “I’m not going to lie, I\u2019m pretty impressed,” Paul gushed about her tennis game. “She plays pretty good, she has the strokes down. She knows what she\u2019s doing on the court.”<\/p>\n

Gael Monfils & Elina Svitolina<\/p>\n

\"<p>Gael<\/p>\n

The tennis stars are in sync on and off the court. In fact, they met after Svitolina won the 2018 WTA Finals in Singapore, going on to tie the knot in July 2021. A little over a year later, they welcomed their baby girl Ska\u00ef.<\/p>\n

“I had the most amazing night of my life, which ended with the most beautiful girl around 6:00 am. Elina was strong and brave,” Monfils wrote<\/a> on Instagram in October 2022. “I can’t thx enough, my wife, and God, for this special moment. Welcome to the world, my little princess Ska\u00ef.”<\/p>\n

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App<\/p>\n