Ben Shelton Makes ‘Really Difficult’ Admission About Relationship With Girlfriend Trinity Rodman: “I’m a Bit of a Zombie”

The last time Ben Shelton played a match was in the final of the US Open. His “lucky charm”, that is, girlfriend Trinity Rodman, couldn’t watch the match from the start and only arrived at Flushing Meadows when he was losing to Alexander Zverev.

She flew to New York from Washington the same day after her team, Washington Spirit, lost to the Boston Celtics in the National Women’s Soccer League. She broke down in tears when Shelton was delivering his runner-up speech.

Shelton was then seen supporting the soccer star during her team’s home match against Angel City FC. The tennis ace, during his interview with Us Weekly magazine, candidly admitted that he finds it really tough to make time for Rodman as he gets really exhausted after competing in tournaments.

It is really difficult. I think what a lot of people don’t see is when we actually do have time or a couple of days off, we’re so exhausted that it’s tough to do anything. It is tough to make time. Sometimes I leave these tournaments, and I’m a bit of a zombie. I’m not the most fun person to be around. But we make a lot of sacrifices for our sport. I’d say both of us are chasing things for our sport. We’re not where we want to be yet, we’re not in our primes. So this is kind of crunch time.

Shelton will not be seen in action this week as he’s not competing in either the Japan Open or the China Open. He is expected to kick off his campaign on the Asian swing at the Shanghai Masters.

This is going to be the hardest, most grueling time in our relationship, from my perspective. None of it is easy. But being able to have someone to lean on who’s such an elite athlete and doing things at a really high level as well, it helps in so many ways.

Ben Shelton added

In an interview this year, Rodman recalled making the first move when she slid into his DMs and wrote a “cringe” message, revealing that she just texted him, “You’re sick, fire emoji,” and Shelton responded within 10 minutes. They met in person two weeks later.

Ben Shelton on his match against Carlos Alcaraz

Before his defeat to Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton shocked the tennis world when he upset defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the US Open. In a grueling five-set match that ended at 3:33 am local time, Shelton registered his career’s first victory over the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

The guy’s so gracious. He’s exactly what you want in a champion in the sport, and basically he was just like, ‘Dude, you’re an absolute beast.’ And I told him the same. I think there’s a lot of respect between us.

Ben Shelton told Heavy Sports

After the US Open, Shelton chose to skip the Laver Cup. But Alcaraz competed in the team event, and now he will play the Japan Open, which starts on September 30.

He’s already one of the greatest ever, and he’s younger than me, which is crazy to think about. I think he’s the most entertaining player that we have. He’s great for our sport.

Ben Shelton added

Alcaraz will be chasing his third title of the season in Tokyo after his wins at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open. He will compete here as the defending champion (he beat Taylor Fritz last year). At the US Open, he returned to the tour after a four-month injury layoff.

Also read: Patrick Mouratoglou Makes ‘Bored’ and ‘Tired’ Claims About Carlos Alcaraz After His Decision to Play Laver Cup