Trinity Rodman wasn’t about to let a little thing like having her own soccer game stop her from being there for one of Ben Shelton’s biggest games of his life.
The Washington Spirit forward spent Sunday afternoon doing her own job on the field in Washington, D.C., before making the roughly 230-mile trip to New York to support her boyfriend during his US Open Singles Final match.
© GettyRodman played the full 90 minutes as the Spirit lost 3-0 to Boston Legacy FC at Audi Field. The match started at 1 p.m. ET – just as Shelton’s first US Open final was getting underway at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens.
By the time Shelton’s match was winding down, Rodman was there.
© GettyShe slipped into his player box wearing a shirt featuring Shelton’s face and watched the final moments of his four-set loss to Alexander Zverev.
Cameras caught her getting emotional during the trophy ceremony as she watched Shelton’s historic run come to an end.
© GC Images“I knew she was coming – I knew it was going to be pretty close to impossible to get here,” Shelton said after the match. “Even making the effort and trying is insane.”
Shelton also had a pretty funny take on her timing. “She kind of showed up as I was losing,” he said, “which for her probably sucked.”
© Sports Illustrated via Getty ImagesEven Zverev noticed. “Trinity, I thought you had a game today,” he joked during his on-court speech. “You’re the lucky charm … not today, but usually.”
She has been there for the big moments
© Getty ImagesThis isn’t the first time she’s gone the extra mile for him. Rodman has spent much of Shelton’s US Open run in the stands, including his unforgettable quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz.
That match didn’t finish until 3:33 a.m., making it the latest-finishing match in US Open history. Rodman stayed to watch Shelton pull off the five-set victory, then was training a few hours later in Virginia, per the NY Times.
© GettyShe had already become a familiar face at the tournament, turning up for multiple matches and even wearing a black shirt that read “I (heart) my boyfriend” during Shelton’s second-round victory.
© Patrick SmithShelton has returned the favor whenever their schedules allow. The two have careers that regularly pull them in opposite directions, Rodman with the Spirit and U.S. women’s national team, Shelton on the ATP Tour, but they’ve made a point of traveling to support each other through the highs and the less glamorous moments.
“We’ve made a lot of sacrifices for each other,” Shelton said Sunday. “We’ve traveled the world to try to support each other when we can.”
That has become one of the more revealing parts of their relationship. Rodman has previously talked about how that shared experience helps them understand what the other person is going through, particularly when one of them is having a difficult stretch.
“If your mind’s not right, it’s harder to push through,” she told 7News DC, adding that they do a good job of allowing each other to feel emotions.
“I think there are those weeks where it’s like. You’re sad, and you feel like you can’t be, but in reality, it’s OK. I had a hard week. You feel it, move on, and we’re really good at understanding and working with each other through that,” she said.
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