Every good love story starts somewhere.
Ben Shelton and Trinity Rodman.
revealed they had been dating on social media in March, which earned the cosigns of many of the couple’s close friends. Since their relationship reveal, they’ve shown up for each other in a big way, including at each other’s matches and on social media timelines.
From playful social media trends to their rise as one of sports’ buzziest couples, here’s how Rodman and Shelton’s relationship has evolved.
Aug. 27: Rodman asks Shelton a hard-hitting question
Rodman showed up in full support of Shelton at the second round of the US Open, where the 22-year-old defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets.
After the match, Rodman had a question for Shelton that produced laughs in the post-match news conference: “How did it feel not serving faster than 135 today? … I just know you like to serve big and it wasn’t breaking 140 today.”
As Rodman asked her question, Shelton put his face in his hand while smiling.
“Why did you give her a question?” Shelton joked to the organizer.
However, he still answered thoroughly.
“It was cold outside,” Shelton said with a slight grin. “So I think that was the main reason. I was focused on hidden spots and I didn’t hit those spots, so maybe I should just serve bigger, but something I’ll definitely work on next time.”
Aug. 24: Rodman’s red-eye to the US Open
When Rodman wins, Shelton does as well. Following the Washington Spirit’s 3-2 win over Bay FC on Aug. 23, which took place at 7 p.m. ET, Rodman took an overnight flight from San Francisco to New York to support her boyfriend at the US Open.
After defeating Ignacio Buse in the first round in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, Shelton gave Rodman a shoutout.
“My girlfriend took the red-eye from California last night to be here,” Shelton said as the crowd erupted with cheers.
“My girlfriend took the red-eye from California last night to be here.”
Ben Shelton shouts out Trinity Rodman for making his US Open match less than 24 hours after her NWSL game ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NuFneJYbGL
— ESPN (@espn) August 24, 2025
Rodman also wore a custom pair of pants to the match, with “Shelton” going down the front left pantleg and “Big Ben” on the front right. Photos of Shelton are featured on the back of him doing his signature “dialed in” celebration.
Aug. 3: Supporting each other from afar
After Shelton notched his 100th win against Flavio Cobolli at the National Bank Open, Rodman’s victory was also on his mind.
That same night, Rodman returned to the field from injury and made a late game-winning goal to secure a 2-1 win over the Portland Thorns FC.
When Shelton was asked what moments stood out from his win, he replied with Rodman’s goal.
“I think Trinity Rodman scoring a goal,” Shelton said. “One-year anniversary from her incredible goal at the Olympics, hadn’t played in 100-something days and she goes in and in 15 minutes scores a banger. It’s pretty cool, especially [because] she was emotional. I’m always happy for her.”
July 5: Googly-eyed posts
Rodman and Shelton’s honeymoon phase seems far from over. Rodman shared a photo of the couple smiling at one another on Instagram with the caption: “Watching you with googly eyes.”
July 3: Courtside support
From the start of Shelton’s Wimbledon campaign to his loss to No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner, Rodman was there. She was a constant courtside presence, seated with Shelton’s family throughout his five-day run. During his opening-round match against Alex Bolt, she joined them up close, eyes fixed on the 22-year-old as he battled on the court.
The way Trinity Rodman looks at Ben Shelton 🥹 pic.twitter.com/9RKcgctc0w
— ESPN (@espn) July 3, 2025
June 5: ‘Somebody Loves Me’
After injuring her back in April, the Spirit told ESPN that Rodman would be “taking time away from team activities to manage her back.” That meant more time with Shelton, who was on the road in Europe for the French Open and Madrid Open, in which Rodman was reportedly in attendance to support him.
Rodman posted a reel on Instagram of the couple’s adventures and quality time spent together in Europe, with Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s “Somebody Loves Me” as the song for the video.
May 20: ‘I love you’
The couple appeared to have a night out for Rodman’s 23rd birthday, in which Shelton posted a couple of photos of the two on Instagram, where he said three big words.
“Happy birthday beautiful girl I love you,” Shelton wrote as the caption.
Rodman’s response in the comments? “I luhhh you.”
April 19: Rodman’s first match-day appearance
Shelton carried momentum from his wins in Munich at the BMW Open, defeating Borna Gojo, Botic Van De Zandschulp and Luciano Darderi, to reach the semifinal against Francisco Cerundolo.
Just over a month the couple publicly launched their relationship, Rodman made her debut in Shelton’s box alongside his father and coach, Bryan Shelton.
Rodman proved to be a good luck charm, as Shelton rallied past Cerundolo 2-6, 7-6, (9-7), 6-4 to advance to the final. However, his run ended there with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Alexander Zverev.
March 27: Rodman calls ‘dibs’
After Shelton’s Instagram photo dump made their relationship official, Rodman followed up with a post of her own. In the picture Shelton’s face is blocked by his baseball cap, and she sealed it with a playful caption, writing: “Dibs.”
March 17: Shelton’s hard launch
Now that the secret was out the two were dating, Shelton posted a photo dump to give fans a glimpse into his life. The final photo showed Rodman kissing him on the cheek. She also commented on the post, saying “Shooters shoot.”
“Hard launchhhhh,” tennis star Coco Gauff also said in a comment.
March 6: TikTok trend to power couple
Where it all began. Participating in a viral trend, Rodman and Shelton each posted a five-second clip of themselves over Jorjiana and GloRilla’s “ILBB2.” In their respective videos, they put the number of letters in each other’s names without revealing the name, ending with the line “what’s up with you.”
