Ben Shelton ‘hard launches’ shock romance with USWNT gold medalist Trinity Rodman
By ISABEL BALDWIN
Ben Shelton's Indian Wells campaign was ended by eventual champion Jack Draper but it appears the tennis star had a shoulder to cry on.
On the eve of the Miami Open, Shelton and USWNT star Trinity Rodman shocked fans when they made their relationship Instagram official Monday.
Shelton shared a series of photos of off-court moments to his profile, and buried amongst them was the revealing snap.
Shelton, 22, and Rodman, also 22, were captured in a loved-up pose with the soccer player wrapping her arm around her tennis beau's neck and plating a kiss on his cheek while he snapped the moment in an elevator mirror.
'I been focused, but I'm steady climbin', I'm nowhere near my peak,' wrote Ben in the post's caption.
The post contained other snaps, including Shelton posing with his dad - former tennis pro Bryan Shelton - and a friend outside a private jet.
Ben Shelton
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Trinity Rodman
Ben Shelton went Instagram official with USWNT star Trinity Rodman on Monday night
The American tennis star shared a loved-up snap of the couple to his Instagram profile
But it was the 'hard launch' that captured the attention of fans - and the tennis world.
Shelton's on-tour friends rushed to share their support with fellow Americans Coco Gauff and Frances Tiafoe flooding the comments.
'hard launchhhhh !!,' an excited Gauff, the World No 3 and Shelton's mixed doubles partner, wrote.
'We gram now,' Tiafoe added, alongside a series of side-eye emojis.
Meanwhile, Rodman, who is the daughter of NBA icon Dennis Rodman, commented, writing, 'Shooters shoot I guess.'
The couple first spoarked romance rumors earleir this month when fans became convinced that they were flirting over social media.
Shelton posted a TikTok video of him listening to GloRilla and Jorjiana's song, 'ILBB2,' which includes the lyrics, 'They say shooters shoot Duke Dennis whats up with you.'
Text appeared across the video which read, 'T****** wsp with u,' leading fans to believe he was referring to Rodman.
Shelton's tennis peers Frances Tiafoe and Coco Gauff shared their support in the comments
Rodman then seemingly responded with a video of her own, in which she mouthed the same lyrics with the text across the screen reading, '_ _ _ wassup w you.'
Rodman was previously in a relationship with NFL wide receiver Trinity Benson, going public with their relationship last May in an Instagram post that was captioned: 'Trinity squared.'
It is unclear when the Olympic gold medalist and Benson, who hasn't played in the NFL since 2022, split.
The Washington Spirit player made headlines back in December when she took aim at her famous father.
Trinity hit out at her 'alcoholic' father, Dennis Rodman, in an astonishing appearance on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast.
She accused Dennis of being absent for the majority of her life while claiming he is only her father 'by blood'.
'He's not a dad,' she told Cooper. 'Maybe by blood, but nothing else.'
'We tried to live with him,' Trinity added, likely referring to herself and brother DJ. 'But he's having parties 24/7, bringing random b****es in. He loves the spotlight'
Trinity Rodman
Dennis Rodman
Trinity Rodman ripped into NBA icon dad Dennis Rodman in an interview in December
After the damning interview, Dennis sent an apology to Trinity on Instagram, insisting he will keep trying to fix things with her no matter how long it takes.
However, Rodman's attempt to reconnect with his estranged daughter has not gone down well, with Trinity instead claiming she is 'done' with him in a furious response.
Throughout his career Rodman was known just as much for his partying antics as he was for his legendary defensive and rebounding skills over two decades in professional basketball.
When he bowed out from the sport in 2006 those antics didn't slow down, and he has since sought treatment for alcohol abuse
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