USWNT star Trinity Rodman has sparked fresh conversation about tennis traditions after watching her boyfriend Ben Shelton’s heated match against Flavio Cobolli at the Canadian Open in Toronto. The soccer player shared her thoughts on tennis uniforms and rules, raising questions about the sport’s strict customs.
Trinity Rodman Questions Tennis Traditions and Uniform Rules
Rodman took to social media to express her confusion about several aspects of tennis after watching her boyfriend, Shelton, compete. The 23-year-old Washington Spirit forward admitted that her boyfriend’s explanations couldn’t clarify her questions about the sport. Her biggest concerns were tennis uniforms and the lack of variety between opponents.
“I think that every athlete or every tennis player should be able to have something custom about their kit,” Rodman explained. “It’s like, Ben played Cobolli the other night, and it’s like the spider-man meme, like they’re wearing the same thing. Like, I don’t understand that. I understand that not making like custom kits, but like a little bit different or giving them the option to like kinda mix and match what they want. I don’t know. That’s just a little bit confusing to me.”
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The issue Rodman highlighted isn’t unique to just Shelton and Cobolli. The Swiss brand On Running, which sponsors Shelton and Iga Świątek, also has Brazilian rising star Joao Fonseca wearing their kits. This creates situations where multiple players at the same tournament can end up wearing nearly identical outfits from the same sponsor.
The problem extends beyond On Running, too. A perfect example occurred at the Indian Wells final between Jack Draper and Holger Rune, where both Nike-sponsored players wore matching blue and white shirts with backwards white caps. Interestingly, Draper is reportedly making a major change, a new apparel deal with California-based brand Vuori starting from the US Open, leaving Nike after several years.
the matching kit https://t.co/5oBZx474Sd
— vivi⚡️ (@soeweirdof1) March 16, 2025
The Ben Shelton-Flavio Cobolli Match That Sparked The Discussion
The Shelton-Cobolli match that Rodman referred to took place on Aug. 3, 2025, during the Canadian Open in Toronto. It was a tough fourth-round match that lasted nearly three hours. Both Shelton and Cobolli wore very similar outfits, sporting the same On Running brand kit with matching ‘Lilac’ shirts and black shorts, which added to the confusion and sparked Rodman’s comments.
Shelton🇺🇸
Cobolli🇮🇹
Same kit alert 🤪#NBO25 pic.twitter.com/jsM1VwTW1S
— NewmarkTennis (@NewmarkTennis) August 3, 2025
Shelton eventually won the match 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(1), marking his 100th career ATP victory. The final set was intense, with Shelton breaking Cobolli’s serve when the Italian was serving for the match at 5-4. He then dominated the tiebreak 7-1 to secure his place in the quarterfinals.
Besides the close competition, the match was notable for a tense post-match moment. During the deciding tiebreak, Cobolli made a gesture that Shelton believed was directed at him, which led to a heated exchange at the net after the match. Cobolli insisted the gesture was out of frustration for losing a key point, not aimed at Shelton personally.
The two players had a discussion to clear up the misunderstanding, with Shelton confirming in an interview that they were “cool” after talking it through in the locker room. This incident, combined with the uniform similarity, drew significant attention during the tournament.
