INTERVIEW: Ben Shelton after reaching his second Grand Slam semifinal at 22

Cuffing season came early as 22-year-old Ben Shelton officially takes himself out of the dating market and into the relationship pool.

In his latest Instagram carousel on Monday, the world No. 14 shared an elevator photo with American soccer player Trinity Rodman, who also happens to be the daughter of five-time NBA Champion Dennis Rodman.

“Shooters shoot I guess 🤭👀,” Rodman commented.

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Also 22, Rodman plays forward for the Washington Spirit and represented the United States in women’s soccer at the Paris Olympic Games, scoring three goals en route to the gold medal.

She was the youngest draftee in the National Women’s Soccer Lague in 2021, coming onto the scene at full speed, similarly to Shelton’s grand entrance on the pro tour three years ago.

“I been focused, but I’m steady climbin’, I’m nowhere near my peak,” he captioned the Instagram post.

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Coco Gauff and Frances Tiafoe were quick to comment, with the 2023 US Open champion chiming in with the “hard launchhhhh !!”

While tennis fans worldwide repost and share the breaking news—and the girlies mourn their celebrity crush’s singlehood—a second glance at Gauff and Tiafoe’s comments suggest Shelton and Rodman’s relationship has been under the radar for some time now.

On March 5, Shelton and Rodman both posted a TikTok to the same sound, with the lyrics “They say shooters shoot Duke Dennis what’s up with you.” In the video, though, they both shout out a “what’s up with you” to an anonymous foe.

Shelton’s video text reads “T** wsp with u” & Rodman’s reads “_ _ _ wassup w you”.

They also commented on each other’s videos, raising speculation of their relationship for fans who were connecting the dots without confirmation.

With the hard launch of their relationship, questions remain: how did the pair first meet, and how long have they been seeing each other. Shelton heads into the Miami Open with media ready to pounce for answers, and maybe a player box reveal?