Trinity Rodman and American tennis star Ben Shelton went Instagram official in April.
The USWNT star has been a regular in the stands at the All England Club this week, as she watches her man in action at Wimbledon.
7
Now their relationship is firmly in the public eye, the broadcast cameras have often cut away from Shelton to show how Rodman is reacting to the on-court action.
That sort of thing comes with the territory, but the 23-year-old soccer star this week hit out at the BBC for their coverage of Shelton’s third-round victory.
As the world number 10 secured a straight-sets win over Hungarian Marton Fucsovics on Saturday, commentators made reference to her estranged father — NBA and Chicago Bulls legend Dennis Rodman.
Trinity was also angered by commentator Andrew Castle, who referred to her as ‘Tiffany’ on multiple occasions.
“For those who don’t know… my name is TRINITY, not Tiffany,” she wrote in an Instagram story.
“Also, for Ben’s matches, he has his family there as his support system, which includes his dad.
“My dad’s not even in MY life. No need to bring him up during HIS matches when I don’t even want him talked about during mine.
“It’s his and his loved ones’ moment. Thank you.”
This is not the first time Rodman has referenced her rocky relationship with dad Dennis, as she made an appearance on the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast last year to open up about it.
The elder Rodman won five NBA championships during his career, three alongside basketball great, Michael Jordan.
7
However, ‘The Worm’s’ career was largely overshadowed by off-field drama, including his highly-publicized relationship with Madonna, near suicide attempt, and penchant for parties and gambling that saw him leave the Bulls midseason to let loose in Las Vegas.
Rodman’s daughter finally opened up about her relationship with her enigmatic and eccentric father, admitting he’s rarely been there for her during her life.
“He’s not a dad,” the Olympic gold medalist told Alex Cooper.
“Maybe by blood, but nothing else.”
Rodman went on: “We tried to live with him.
7
7
“But he’s having parties 24/7, bringing random b****** in. He loves the spotlight, he loves the cameras, he loves bringing his children on stage and being like, ‘oh these are my kids.'”
Dennis married Trinity’s mother Michelle Moyer in 2003. Moyer filed for a divorce in 2004 and, after numerous attempts to make the relationship work, the two finally parted ways in 2012 by dissolving their marriage.
The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year has been open about his struggles with alcohol abuse during his life. The rebounding phenom has entered numerous rehab programs to address his challenges which often came at the expense of being an available parent.
“We never want to make him look bad and that is at the cost of holding in a lot,” Trinity went on.
“I guess it’s just the anger that I haven’t been able to let out is like difficult for me.”
Trinity later revealed she’s ‘lost hope’ in ever getting him back as a father.
“I lost hope in ever getting him back, she said.
“I answer the phone (when he calls) now for my conscience to be like, he needed to hear my voice before anything happens. Like that’s why I answer the phone, not for me.”
7
Trinity, who is one of the most decorated soccer players in the US, boats an impressive CV of her own.
She became the youngest draftee in NWSL history when she made her debut for the Washington Spirit in 2021, winning the NWSL Championship and earning NWSL Rookie of the Year and NWSL Best XI honors in her first season.
The forward, who has made 47 appearances for the USWNT, also scored three goals during the 2024 Olympics, where the United States won gold.
Sadly, Dennis has been noticeably absent from Trinity’s games for most of her career, albeit for one NWSL quarterfinal in 2021.
However, he didn’t tell Trinity he was planning to attend the game.
7
“I was like, so mad,” Trinity, who hadn’t seen her dad in months at the time, reflected.
She revealed that she was crying at halftime, but managed to compose herself to finish the match.
This week, Trinity will no doubt be back in the stands as Shelton faces what could be the toughest test of his career to date.
He will face world number one Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, looking to make the third Grand Slam semi of his young career.
7
As the US tennis star takes to court, he will be cheered on all the way by his partner.