Frances Tiafoe can add matchmaker to his résumé.
The American tennis star revealed that he played a part in introducing fellow pro Ben Shelton and Olympic soccer star Trinity Rodman, who hard-launched their relationship Monday on social media.
“By the way, I don’t think people realize, I was like, the one who [connected them] — if we’re going to be real,” Tiafoe said, before he jokingly compared himself to Danny Ainge — the CEO of basketball operations for the Utah Jazz and former Celtics GM for 18 years.
Taking to his Instagram, Shelton included a snapshot with Rodman, a forward for the USWNT and the Washington Spirit, as the last slide in a carousel post.
Rodman, the daughter of Bulls legend Dennis Rodman, kissed the side of his cheek while the couple posed for a mirror selfie in an elevator.
Tiafoe said he was impressed by Shelton’s relationship reveal.
“I’m happy for him man. I was shocked he went up though… The elevator photo out the gate and then you don’t go and tag [Rodman] and let everybody know who it is,” he said.
“You dont need to go tag. Everybody knows who Trinity Rodman is. [The photo] at the end of the carousel, sick. That was tough.”
Instagram/Ben Shelton
Tiafoe was one of many tennis stars who gushed over the photo, writing, “We gram now 👀👀👀👀,” with a bunch of eyeball emojis in the comments.
“Shooters shoot I guess 🤭👀,” Rodman added.
Shelton and Rodman also posted separate TikTok videos, which were both set to the song “ILBB2” by Jorjiana, featuring GloRilla, with the lyrics, “Shooters shoot.”
Another video showed Rodman smiling and included the message: “Me seeing the Ben Shelton hard launch… then realizing I’m the girl.”
It’s unclear exactly how Shelton and Rodman, both 22, met and when they started dating.
Rodman previously dated NFL wide receiver Trinity Benson, who last played with the Cleveland Browns in 2023.
She revealed their relationship in a since-deleted Instagram post in May 2024, and it is unclear when they split.
Shelton was previously linked to Anna Hall, who competed for the United States in track and field at the Paris Olympics last summer.
Hall, also a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, and Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton made their relationship public in January.
