Ben Shelton just made US Open history. Last night, the 23-year-old American tennis star stunned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller that stretched deep into the New York night, finally ending at 3:33 a.m. — the latest finish in US Open history.
But whenever Shelton steps onto the court, the cameras inevitably seem to find one particularly enthusiastic supporter in the stands: his girlfriend, Trinity Rodman.
And soccer fans certainly don’t need an introduction. Rodman is far more than the woman cheering from Shelton’s player box — she’s a Washington Spirit and USWNT star, a Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist, and one of the biggest names in women’s soccer.
Meet Trinity Rodman
Ben Shelton’s girlfriend is Trinity Rodman, a 24-year-old soccer star who plays as a forward for the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League and for the USWNT. She is an Olympic gold medalist from Paris 2024 and, thanks to a record Washington Spirit deal worth more than $2 million per season including bonuses, one of the highest paid female footballers in the world.
The pair have been dating since early 2025, making their relationship public that March, right as both of their careers were tilting from promising to headlining.
How Ben Shelton And Trinity Rodman Started Dating
Their origin story is very Gen Z athlete romance: she slid into his DMs first. After watching him on court, Rodman messaged Shelton on Instagram to tell him how “sick” his game was. Conversation turned into constant texting, then into something more serious when he flew out and stayed at her house for a weekend before they had ever met in person, something she has recalled with a laugh in interviews.
There was even a low key “are you a decent human” test. Rodman has said she clocked the way he immediately helped her haul boxes around the house. Anyone who has moved apartments knows that is a love language.
By March 2025, the soft launch era was over. Coordinated Instagram posts and TikToks officially confirmed that Ben Shelton was dating Trinity Rodman. Fans of both sports did what fans do – dissected captions, zoomed in on backgrounds, and decided this cross-sport couple was their new shared obsession.
Trinity Rodman’s Career Before the Viral Girlfriend Shots
Long before she was a fixture in the player box, Rodman was a teenage prodigy. She went second overall in the 2021 NWSL draft at just 18 and promptly justified the hype, winning Rookie of the Year, helping Washington Spirit lift the 2021 league title, and landing in the Best XI. Her game is pure chaos for defenders – pace, power, and an eye for goal that feels almost unfair.
Rodman debuted for the USWNT in February 2022 and has since piled up around 57 caps, 13 goals and 12 assists. Her coming of age moment arrived at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she helped the US win gold and scored a decisive extra time winner against Japan. In soccer terms, she was already “that girl” before she ever wore an “I ♥️ MY BOYFRIEND” shirt.
In January 2024, Rodman signed a new three-year contract with Washington Spirit worth more than $2 million per season including bonuses, making her the highest paid player in the NWSL and, according to her camp, the highest paid female footballer on the planet. For women’s sports in the US, it was a significant money moment – the kind that tells a younger generation of girls that attacking flair can literally pay.
Dennis Rodman’s daughter
Of course, the surname gets its own round of headlines. Trinity is the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, but she has been open about their complicated relationship. On Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, she described him as “not a dad” beyond biology and recalled periods of financial instability with her mother, including living in a motel. Dennis responded publicly with an apology on Instagram, but as of September 2026, she is largely estranged from him.
That context matters when broadcasters still introduce her first as “Dennis Rodman’s daughter” or simply “Ben Shelton’s girlfriend.” She has bristled at both, reminding viewers she is an Olympic champion and club star in her own right. The irony, of course, is that the more people Google “Ben Shelton girlfriend,” the more they end up reading about Trinity Rodman the franchise player.
