Trinity Rodman Trolled BF Ben Shelton During His US Open Press Conference

After winning his second-round match at the 2025 U.S. Open, American tennis star Ben Shelton had to face the media in his second-round press conference. It was business as usual for the world No. 6 until he got a tough question from a surprise guest reporter: Trinity Rodman, pro soccer player, Olympic gold medalist, and his girlfriend.

Press Conference Trolling

In the post-match press conference on Aug. 27, Shelton discussed his win over Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta, which came in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. He said he “played well,” but “didn’t serve perfectly.” In particular, Shelton wasn’t thrilled with his accuracy, saying, “I wasn’t completely dialed on all my spots.”

Unbeknownst to Shelton, Rodman wanted to know more about his serving. When she posed her question, she trolled him for not serving at his top speeds. (Shelton has one of the most powerful serves in the world and has been known to break 150 miles per hour.) “How did it feel not being able to serve faster than 135 today?” she asked.

Once he registered who was asking him the question, Shelton smiled and covered his face, then turned to a staff member to quip, “Why did you give her a question?”

Still, Rodman was undeterred. She pressed her boyfriend, saying, “I just know you like to serve big and it wasn’t breaking 140 today.”

Shelton rewarded her trolling with a serious answer, albeit while fighting a smile. “It was cold outside, so I think that was, you know, the main reason,” he said. “I was focused on hitting spots and I didn’t hit those spots, so maybe I should’ve just served bigger. But something that, you know, I’ll definitely work on next time.”

As Shelton wrapped up, he couldn’t resist a little trolling of his own. “Gosh,” he said. “Let anyone in the room at this point, huh?”

Cross-Sports Romance

The sports power couple debuted their relationship in mid-March, when Shelton included a sweet couple’s selfie in an Instagram carousel. Rodman followed it up with an equally adorable snap days later, captioning it, “Dibs.” Since then, they’ve made frequent appearances on each other’s social media accounts, and Rodman also supported her boyfriend at tournaments around the world while rehabbing a back injury. She returned to the field with her NWSL team, the Washington Spirit, on Aug. 3.

Shelton has been vocal about how much he appreciates Rodman. Following his first win at the 2025 U.S. Open, he gave her a special shoutout in his on-court interview.

“My girlfriend took the red-eye from California last night to be here,” he told the crowd. “Yeah, we’re here for the long haul and just looking forward to it.”

In the same press conference Rodman crashed, Shelton told reporters it was “100%” his plan to go cheer her on after the U.S. Open. “She’s been grinding to pull up to a lot of tournaments this year,” he said. “At the beginning of the year, we were like, ‘Yeah, we’re not really going to see each other,’ and she’s been to Munich, Madrid, Paris, Wimbledon, Mallorca, D.C., Cincy, here. We’re doing all right.”

Shelton is one of several American tennis stars still playing the tournament, which runs through Sept. 7.