Scheduling gods clash: Why USWNT star Trinity Rodman is absent from Ben Shelton’s US Open final

Ben Shelton has spent the past two weeks making history at the US Open with Trinity Rodman frequently watching from his box. On Sunday, the American tennis star will chase his first Grand Slam title without her there at the opening serve.

The reason has nothing to do with their relationship and everything to do with the reality of two elite athletes trying to support each other while competing at the highest level.

Rodman was named in the Washington Spirit starting lineup for Sunday’s NWSL game against Boston Legacy FC, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET at Audi Field. Shelton’s final against top seed Alexander Zverev begins at 2 p.m. ET at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

The overlap makes it impossible for Rodman to attend the start of the final. That's a striking change from earlier in the tournament, when she was regularly visible in Shelton’s box and celebrated some of the biggest victories of his career.

Rodman pushed herself earlier in the tournament

Rodman was there when Shelton defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that finished at 3:33 a.m., the latest ending in US Open history.

Her own schedule didn't stop there. Rodman reportedly drove for around five hours afterward so she could make an 11 a.m. Washington Spirit training session later that day, an example of just how demanding the couple’s overlapping careers can become.

Shelton has said that shared experience is actually one of the strengths of their relationship.

“Some people can say that it’s difficult to maintain a relationship where you have two professional athletes,” Shelton told the ATP Tour. “But in my opinion, to have somebody who understands what you go through is very, very important.”

Rodman has been having a major season of her own. She reached a career high with nine regular-season goals and became the youngest player in NWSL history to record 60 regular-season goal contributions.

Shelton chasing American tennis history

Shelton, meanwhile, enters Sunday with the chance to end one of the longest droughts in American men’s tennis.

The 23-year-old reached his first Grand Slam final by beating Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals after knocking out Alcaraz in the previous round.

His run also made him the first black American man to reach the US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. A victory over Zverev would make Shelton the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick captured the US Open in 2003.

There's also $5.5 million waiting for the champion, with the runner-up earning $2.8 million. Rodman could theoretically attempt to reach New York after the Spirit game ends, but the timing would make catching much of the final extremely difficult.

Click here to read article