Ben Shelton Admits Relationship With Trinity Rodman Is Facing Challenges

It is really difficult.

by Chris Rosvoglou

Sep 29, 2026

Trinity Rodman at Ben Shelton's match.

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images&period;

Ben Shelton and Trinity Rodman are considered a power couple in the world of sports, but that doesn’t mean their lives are on cruise control.

Shelton, the No. 4 ranked men’s tennis player, is coming off the best run of his young career. The American reached the US Open final before losing to Alexander Zverev in four sets. He defeated Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe and a few other notable names during his time in New York.

Even though Rodman’s season with the Washington Spirit isn’t over yet, she showed up to every one of Shelton’s matches at the US Open. She even attended his final despite playing in a soccer match a few hours earlier.

August 31, 2026; New York, United States; Trinity Rodman, NWSL soccer player and girlfriend of Ben Shelton of the U.S. in the stands during his first round match against Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

With the US Open in the rearview mirror, Shelton opened up about his relationship with Rodman.

“It is really difficult,” Shelton told US Weekly. “I think what a lot of people don’t see is when we actually do have time or a couple of days off, we’re so exhausted that it’s tough to do anything. It is tough to make time.”

Shelton then revealed that his relationship with Rodman is entering its “most grueling” stretch yet.

“Sometimes I leave these tournaments and I’m a bit of a zombie. I’m not the most fun person to be around. But we make a lot of sacrifices for our sport. I’d say both of us are chasing things for our sport. We’re not where we want to be yet, we’re not in our primes. So this is kind of crunch time. This is going to be the hardest, most grueling time in our relationship, from my perspective. None of it is easy. But being able to have someone to lean on who’s such an elite athlete and doing things at a really high level as well, it helps in so many ways.”

What’s next for Shelton & Rodman?

Shelton is set to compete in the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in the coming days. He’ll then prepare for a pair of Masters 1000 tournaments in October and November in the Rolex Shanghai Masters and Rolex Paris Masters, respectively.

Rodman, on the other hand, will remain in the United States so she can prepare for showdowns with the Houston dash, Gotham FC, KC Current and Chicago Stars.

It’s safe to say Shelton and Rodman will have a long-distance relationship for the next month or so.