Trinity Rodman was playing for the United States Women’s National Team in Sao Paulo on June 9, but 24 hours later, she was in Stuttgart to attend boyfriend Ben Shelton’s quarterfinal. Shelton came from a set down to beat Sho Shimabukuro 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 today, and when he was asked about spotting his girlfriend in the stands, he did not dress it up.

“Yeah, it’s really cool having her here. Obviously, she was playing for the US team against Brazil in Brazil a couple of nights ago. So she flew here, a 24-hour trip. So yeah, I really, really appreciate her coming,” Shelton said.

USWNT lost 2-1 on June 6 when Rodman started against Brazil. Two days later, she came off the bench at halftime in a 1-0 win, tying the series. Within 48 hours, she had crossed the Atlantic to be courtside in Germany. 

Rodman is a Washington Spirit forward and an Olympic gold medalist from the Paris Games with the USWNT, and one of the most well-known players in American women’s soccer. Her schedule does not leave room for spontaneous intercontinental travel, but she made time for her special someone.

The Stuttgart quarterfinal had been a complicated affair before Trinity Rodman even arrived. Shelton had been forced to suspend his game with Shimabukuro the night before because of darkness, and the Japanese qualifier had been leading 6-4 in the first set. The American returned on Saturday and was on his feet, taking it down in three. 

He carries a 20-10 record into the final four, having already won titles in Dallas and Munich earlier this season, and he is the top seed at the BOSS Open following Alexander Zverev’s withdrawal after his French Open triumph last week. 

Shelton is facing fellow American Taylor Fritz in the final at Stuttgart as he aims to win his third ATP title this year.

A relationship built on showing up

This is not the first time Rodman has made the journey to sit in Shelton’s corner at a significant moment. She made her debut in the player’s box at the BMW Open in April 2025 when he reached her final in Munich with his father and coach Bryan Shelton. The relationship has been public since March 2025, after a TikTok exchange that got the internet talking. Since then, they’ve been regulars at each other’s top games, even with their two high-profile sports careers going hand-in-hand. 

Shelton flew to San Jose in November 2025 to see Rodman play in the NWSL Championship, and the pair went together to Auckland at the beginning of 2026 when Shelton’s season began at the ASB Classic. 

What the Stuttgart moment illustrates is that this is not a relationship built on convenience. Even though Rodman had international duty in South America, she flew through the night, and she showed up. Speaking on court, when asked if her presence was a source of extra energy for him, Shelton did not disagree.

“We could see your girlfriend Trinity in the player box as well. You guys seem to be really good at supporting each other’s professional careers as athletes,” the interviewer noted as Shelton acknowledged him.

If Rodman’s track record in player boxes is anything to go by, Stuttgart may be about to witness another chapter in what has become one of sport’s more straightforward love stories.