The US Open final was already a painful night for Ben Shelton. Then Alexander Zverev added a little extra fuel to the fire. Trinity Rodman had been trolled after her boyfriend fell short in New York, despite making a frantic 200-mile trip from Washington, D.C.
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Shelton’s dream of winning his first Grand Slam title was crushed with a 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 loss to Zverev. Still, Zverev’s post-match jab at Rodman quickly became one of the biggest talking points from the night. Now, former NBA champion Iman Shumpert has chimed in. And he wants Shelton to settle the score the way a fighter would.
“I ain’t gonna lie, Ben, get up in there, you gotta say something.” Iman Shumpert did not seem interested in letting Shelton simply move on from the moment on the Season 5 premiere of Gil’s Arena. “I ain’t gonna lie, he just shot. I ain’t gonna lie, he shot though. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You need a rematch. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You need a rematch. Yeah, you gotta treat it like boxing.”
The former Cleveland Cavaliers continued, “Hey, Ben, go get your get back, buddy. I ain’t gonna hold that. Yeah, I don’t mean to instigate or nothing, Ben, but… Hey, I ain’t gonna lie. That was crazy. They put the camera on him, too.”
This was not just for avenging the defeat, which extended the wait for an American men’s singles champion at the US Open. But for the comments that Zverev made.
“Trinity, I thought you have a game today, no?” Zverev said into the court microphone, drawing laughter from the crowd. “Well done to you as well. You’re the lucky charm… Not today, but usually.”
Zverev knew that Trinity Rodman played for the Washington Spirit against Boston Legacy earlier Sunday. The match ended in a 3-0 loss, but Rodman did not stay in Washington.
She made the roughly 200-mile journey north and reached Arthur Ashe Stadium before the final ended.
The daughter of NBA champion Denis Rodman arrived wearing a shirt featuring Shelton’s face and watched the closing stages from his box. Shelton later called the effort “insane” and acknowledged the sacrifices the two athletes have made to support each other.
“Yeah, I mean, it means everything. I knew she was coming. I knew it was going to be pretty close to impossible to get here, but even just making the effort and trying is insane.”
That’s why Zverev’s jokes became a talking point.
Let’s not forget, Trinity Rodman took the joke in stride. Fans, however, were less united. Some saw it as harmless banter after a major victory, while others felt the timing was awkward because Shelton had just lost the biggest match of his young career.
The tennis star certainly gave himself a chance to believe that another final is coming. Zverev himself backed Shelton after the match, telling the American he expected him to return to this stage. His road to the Finals also hyped the possibility of him winning.
Shelton had already taken down defending champion Carlos Alcaraz during his run to the final. His quarterfinal victory ended at 3:33 a.m., making it the latest finish in US Open history.
He then battled through another major test in Tiafoe before earning his place in the championship match. The final, however, belonged to Zverev.
He controlled the opening two sets before Shelton finally found another gear in the third. He took it 7-5 and briefly appeared ready to drag the match into a deciding fifth set.
Zverev shut that door quickly. He broke early in the fourth and pulled away to secure his first US Open championship and second Grand Slam title of the season.
There was no real hostility between Shelton and Zverev. The German praised his opponent and backed him to win a major in the future. Now, Shelton has a reason to want another shot. Iman Shumpert wants the 23-year-old star to lock in and not forget the jab that was thrown at Trinity Rodman.