‘Love Her Energy’: Trinity Rodman Has Everyone Watching Her Instead of Boyfriend Ben Shelton After One Courtside Gesture Fans Couldn’t Ignore
Trinity Rodman is back in full girlfriend mode, returning courtside to cheer on her tennis star boyfriend Ben Shelton.
Last year, the two pro-athletes made their relationship official in March after Rodman made the first move on Shelton with a DM.
Despite her own busy schedule, as a forward for the Washington Spirit, Rodman has wasted no time in showing support to her man.
As he competed in Wimbledon in 2025 – where he eventually lost in the quarterfinals – she was in attendance, sitting next to his parents and his sister.
She quickly caught attention for her courtside fashion, a mix of designer pieces and custom Shelton merch.
This year, Trinity has been just as present at his matches.
On July 30, her unwavering support drew attention after she was spotted having a courtside celebration, inspired by her boyfriend Shelton’s victory at the 2026 Mubadala DC Open.
Shelton, 23, made a comeback and defeated French player Ugo Humbert after initially losing the first set.
Shelton narrowly lost the first set 7-6 before rallying to win the last two sets 6-3 and 6-4, respectively, and earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
Rodman watched intently as Humbert’s return landed outside the lines, giving Shelton a win.
She then shot up from her seat, clapping and yelling out to Shelton.
The 24-year-old then turned to the man next to her, and the two imitated Shelton’s infamous hang-up move. She picked up her actual cell phone and recorded him before embracing his father, Bryan Shelton.
The move is a celebratory gesture Shelton started using in 2023 anytime he won a match.
Following his defeat of Francis Taifoe at the 2023 US Open, the Atlanta native explained in the press conference that he grew up with the classic landline phone.
Shelton said, “But for me it’s kind of like I’m saying I’m dialed in. That’s what it is for me.”
He also credited Grant Holloway – a track and field athlete student he befriended at their college, the University of Florida – for doing the move first.
While some people found Rodman’s imitation of the move cringey and arrogant, others hyped the couple up.
One said, “She is rooting for this man deeply.”
Another person typed, “Good couple; they really suit each other. Congratulations, Ben, on a great win.”
A third person commented, “Guys.. take note: find a woman that cheers for you like that, even when you change a bulb lamp in the living room.” “I love her energy,” noted a fourth supporter.
Shelton’s win against Humbert initially secured him a spot in the quarterfinals. But he was defeated the next day in his matchup with Alejandro Tabilo. Tabilo moved on to the semi-finals.
The hang-up gesture has sparked controversy in the past. Back in 2023, Shelton went head-to-head with Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and lost.
But after defeating him, Djokovic mimicked the dial-in move, and some thought he was taunting Shelton.
It was later discovered that Shelton took it more as a compliment. On the other hand, his father, Bryan – who is a retired professional tennis player – thought it was disrespectful.
In a GQ interview, Bryan said, “He wanted to mock Ben at the end. It wasn’t something he was doing just to copy Ben. It was to mock him. And that’s too bad, for that to come from such a great champion.”
But in Rodman’s case, it was clearly out of love and celebration. And Shelton doesn’t take his girlfriend’s support lightly.
In a post-match press conference, he said, “It’s cool, obviously, to be able to share these moments with her, to be able to go to her games, to be able to play in front of her and the rest of my family.
Trinity Rodman and Ben Shelton are the best cross sport athlete couple rn…
If your girl don’t look at you like that, she not the one bro… pic.twitter.com/qh7uhpQpk3
— SK (@Djoko_UTD) July 27, 2026
“She definitely gets more nervous than me 100%. I can see it in her face when I’m playing,” he added.
Rodman made time for Shelton despite playing an NWSL match in Utah just hours before his victory.
The Olympic Gold medalist even scored the winning goal against Utah Royals FC.
Their next match is on August 8 against the North Carolina Courage.