Ben Shelton opens up on Trinity Rodman, privacy and what ‘annoyed’ her about their relationship reveal

Ben Shelton and Trinity Rodman were not on most people’s radar.

The American tennis star and the USWNT standout hard-launched their relationship on social media last month, and Shelton was shocked by the public’s reaction.

“It’s been great, obviously,” Shelton, 22, told The Post of his and Rodman’s relationship while discussing his partnership with Thorne’s Sports Performance campaign. “I guess I didn’t think it would blow up as much as it did. That’s not why I did it.

“I feel like, you know, posting your girlfriend on Instagram is a more normal thing. I guess because of who it is, is why people went nuts a little bit. But yeah, kinda crazy how much it did blow up… and I realized, ‘wow, people care about my life that much.’ But yeah, [we’re] happy for sure.”

Shelton added that the couple wished to keep some things private, including the story of how they met.

Last month, Rodman, 22, denied that Frances Tiafoe, who’s friends with her and Shelton, set them up after the American tennis star took credit for introducing them.

“Tiafoe had nothing to do with it,” Shelton said. “He’s taking credit, [saying] ‘Oh, yeah, I put them together. I was like Danny Ainge.’ He’s a liar,” Shelton laughed. “He’s trying to make it about himself. It’s not about him, but that’s funny.

“… I think he’s from the DMV. [Rodman’s] from the DMV. We’d like talked about her once, twice before and I was like, ‘But come on man. ‘You didn’t do anything. ‘Putting us together, like that’s a bit of a stretch.’

“She was kind of annoyed by that. She was like, ‘Come on, bro.’ I think she said something to him a couple times. But we’re all friends.”

Tiafoe jokingly compared himself to Ainge — the CEO of basketball operations for the Utah Jazz and former Celtics GM for 18 years — when he was asked about Shelton and Rodman’s “hard launch” during an interview with Overtime Tennis last month.

“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 quipped.

Shelton’s reveal included a snapshot of him and Rodman in an elevator together.

The couple has since shared some glimpses into their personal life.

Although Shelton was excited to talk about his life off of the court, he emphasized that he’s just like any other person in a relationship and in their career trying to figure it out one day at a time.

The couple has supported each other publicly and shared intimate snapshots on social media since going public with their relationship.

Rodman, the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, made her players’ box debut as she watched Shelton defeat Francisco Cerundolo 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 to punch his ticket to the final of the BMW Open in Munich last Saturday.

Shelton lost to top-seeded German Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-4 to on Sunday.

The American was playing in his fourth career final just three years after going pro.

Shelton went pro in June 2022 after winning the NCAA singles title at the University of Florida that year.

As a freshman, Shelton clinched the 2021 NCAA men’s title for Florida against Baylor, the Gators’ first-ever national team championship.

Shelton’s aware that he’s risen to stardom both on and off of the court in a short time, but he’s focused on surrounding himself with the right people, including Rodman.

“It moved quickly, a lot of big adjustments to lifestyle, just things to get used to, but I have great people around me that keep me grounded and keep my head screwed on straight,” he said. “So I think that I have an easier time than others just because I have an unbelievable support system. I think that’s most important.

“Honestly, I could care less about all the success. Kind of care more about who I do it with. And got a lot of people in my corner that I enjoy being around and I enjoy, you know, having success with. So that’s kind of what I choose to focus on. You know, you have all the media hype, whether it’s positive or negative, that’s always gonna be the thing. You got people who are your fans, you got people who hate you. It’s kind just the world, the sports world that we live in.

“A lot of people wanna see you fall. I choose to focus on the people who are in my corner every single day, and as long as they’re okay with who I am and love who I’m, then I’m pretty okay with myself.”

Shelton spoke with The Post on behalf of Thorne, which is the only supplement manufacturer that collaborates with Mayo Clinic on health and wellness research and content.

“I’ve been using it since I turned pro,” he said, adding that “the Daily Electrolytes are huge [for me] because I couldn’t find a product before that had the right levels of magnesium, potassium, sodium.”

As for Rodman, the Washington Spirit forward, who also plays for the U.S. women’s national team, will be sidelined indefinitely due to back issues, the team said in a statement.

Rodman won a gold medal for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics last summer.