Trinity Rodman’s funny first message to her boyfriend and US Open star Ben Shelton
Trinity Rodman shared a funny story about the first message she ever sent to her tennis star boyfriend, Ben Shelton – and how he replied in just 10 minutes.
Rodman, who plays for the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League and is thought to be the highest-paid woman in soccer, was watching Shelton win a tough match against Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.
The couple has been together since early 2025, and Rodman recently talked about how they first connected.
On the ‘Not Gonna Lie’ podcast with Kylie Kelce, the 24-year-old said she sent Shelton a simple message on Instagram, calling him “sick” with a fire emoji. She called it a bit “embarrassing” but funny now.
“I fully committed to this guy I hadn’t even met yet by inviting him to stay at my house for the weekend,” Rodman explained. “It sounds crazy, but it actually worked out. I’m really embarrassed by my message, but he replied in 10 minutes, so I guess I win!”
Luckily, Shelton had seen Rodman play at the 2024 Olympics, where she won gold with the US Women’s National Team. He replied with a playful message of his own.
“He said, ‘Yeah, you were sick at the Olympics too, haha,’” Rodman said. “He matched my awkward message, and we ended up meeting face to face a week or two later.”
According to the US Open’s website, Shelton had earned $3.5 million in prize money in 2026 before his big win against Alcaraz. He’s already secured $1.45 million for making it to the semis, with even more money waiting for the finalists and winner.
Meanwhile, Rodman signed a new three-year deal with the Washington Spirit in January, despite interest from Chelsea in the Women’s Super League. She’s one of the biggest stars in women’s soccer, with 57 appearances and 13 goals for the USWNT so far.
The NWSL added a new rule allowing teams to pay high-impact players over $1 million more than the salary cap. Thanks to this, Rodman’s contract extension was possible. ESPN reports she now earns $2 million a year, keeping her as the highest-paid female soccer player.
There was talk that Alexia Putellas moving to London City Lionesses might challenge that, but reports show her base salary is about €1 million ($1.16 million) a year.
Overall, both Rodman and Shelton are making their marks in their sports and enjoying life together.