Frances Tiafoe – the matchmaker came to the limelight shortly after Ben Shelton hard-launched his relationship with soccer star, Trinity Rodman. Tiafoe had then jokingly claimed, “By the way, I don’t think people realize, I was like, the one who [connected them] — if we’re going to be real.” Seeing Rodman kiss Shelton on his cheek while posing in front of a mirror in an elevator, Tiafoe mentioned he was really impressed with the way Shelton introduced his girlfriend to everyone else.

However, later on, Rodman came up with a statement clarifying that, “I can assure you, Frances was not the reason that we met or got together.“ Following that, recently, Tiafoe was yet again spotted teasing Ben Shelton with a Trinity Rodman quip at the Citi Open. Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton teamed up for the doubles event at this tournament. Although they lost their R16 match to Australia’s John Peers and Matthew Ebden by 6(3)-7,3-6, Tiafoe’s hilarious dig at Shelton during the press conference has now gained a fair bit of attention.

Frances Tiafoe is a local, hailing from Hyattsville, while Ben Shelton was born in Atlanta, and he played college tennis in Florida. However, his girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, plays soccer for the Washington Spirit. Before their doubles match at the Citi Open, Tiafoe was asked what he thinks about the opportunity to play with Shelton here, and replying to that, Tiafoe said, “Yeah, he asked me randomly. He texted me, What do you think about dubs in D.C.? He thinks he’s from D.C. now, because he has a little girlfriend that plays soccer sometimes, I guess.“

He further added, “No, I love him, and we have had incredible battles, become incredibly close the last few years. Our humor and mannerisms, very much the same. The crowd is going to go nuts.” Tiafoe revealed that they had practised together recently and couldn’t even get off the court because the crowd was going absolutely crazy. However, he said that he’d be excited to get out there with him.

Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton will now kickstart their campaign at the singles event. During the BMW Open, we saw Trinity Rodman showcasing her support for Shelton from the stands. Then, even at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, she was seen sitting alongside Shelton’s parents and sisters during some of his matches. Rodman has now become one of his biggest cheerleaders, but sadly, for this power couple, they won’t be able to cheer for each other from the stadiums for too long due to their packed schedules.

What does Shelton have to say about their long-distance relationship? Rodman will get busy with the USWNT and Washington Spirit, while Shelton will be looking forward to kick-starting his North American hard-court swing on a positive note. But while talking about their long-distance relationship, Shelton said, “It has its challenges, but it’s definitely worth it. It’s not something that we’re not used to—it’s been the story of our lives, especially me being on the road all the time. It’s just normal life stuff.”

Now, coming back to his camaraderie with Frances Tiafoe, well, these two share a very close bond, and they’re often seen heaping praise on each other publicly. We’ve already seen Tiafoe speaking about their close bond, but what does Shelton have to say about their friendship?

“He’s been like a brother” – Ben Shelton speaks about Frances Tiafoe

Frances Tiafoe (27) is five years older than Ben Shelton, but over the years, they have managed to build a very strong camaraderie. Together, they’ve met each other three times in their careers, with Shelton securing the victory two times. Speaking about their strong camaraderie during an interview at the 2023 US Open, Shelton said, “He’s been like a brother to me since I’ve been on the Tour. You’ve always believed in me since the first tournament. A very good boy off the pitch; a nightmare to face on the pitch.”

During that interview, Shelton also spoke about how Frances Tiafoe has an unique ability to get the crowd involved in his matches. He even drew a comparison of his aura with someone like Carlos Alcaraz, especially when in New York. According to Shelton, Frances Tiafoe is probably the best in recent years on the American side. He has been key in reaching out to even that casual sports fan.

After their match in Houston in the 2024 season, Shelton lauded Frances Tiafoe, saying, “You’ve been such an inspiration to kids, people of color in our sport, just an amazing representation.” He hailed him for being the selfless guy who always thinks about the well-being of others and thanked him for everything that Tiafoe has been doing for the sport. Tiafoe cracking a joke about Shelton’s connection with D.C. was just another moment that reflected their true friendship.