Tennis News Roundup: Ben Shelton's girlfriend Trinity Rodman mesmerizes him with her basketball skills; Coco Gauff back up and running at home as she enjoys Miami weather by the beach

Ben Shelton expressed his delight at his girlfriend, Trinity Rodman's, basketball skills. Coco Gauff enjoyed a sunny day at Miami Beach during the offseason.

Joao Fonseca follows Carlos Alcaraz and shaves his head, as he promised after winning the 2025 Swiss Indoors. Ben Shelton, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, and Nick Kyrgios attended an NBA game ahead of their exhibition matches in Atlanta. Former British player Greg Rusedski said Emma Raducanu's biggest mistake was frequently changing coaches.

On that note, let's look at the top stories of the day:

#1. Ben Shelton impressed by his girlfriend Trinity Rodman's basketball skills

Ben Shelton's girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, is a professional soccer player who represents the US national team as well as the Washington Spirit. Last month, her team lost the NWSL Championship final 1-0 to Gotham FC.

Rodman, Shelton, and a few other tennis players attended an NBA game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets on Friday, December 5, at State Farm Arena. The Nuggets won a closely fought contest 134-133.

After the game, the Atlanta Hawks posted a video on Instagram, showing Rodman sinking an impressive half-court shot and then celebrating like a child. Shelton shared the clip on his Instagram story and inserted a sigh of relief emoji, as his girlfriend's hoops skills spellbound him.

A screenshot of Ben Shelton's Instagram story

#2. Coco Gauff revels in a sunny day at the beach in Miami

Defending champion Coco Gauff crashed out of the 2025 WTA Finals group stage last month and concluded her season. She has since used the offseason to relax, as evidenced by her social media posts, including attending a concert with her boyfriend Jalen Sera.

On Saturday, December 6, the American posted a photo of the beautiful Miami Beach in Florida, as she enjoyed a bright sunny day.

A screenshot of Coco Gauff's Instagram story

This year, Gauff won her maiden French Open title, as she defeated World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. She also won the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open, overcoming Jessica Pegula in the summit clash. The 21-year-old reached the Madrid Open and the Italian Open finals, though she lost to Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini, respectively.

#3. Joao Fonseca keeps his promise, shaves head like Carlos Alcaraz

At this year's US Open, Carlos Alcaraz showed up with a close-shaved buzzcut after his brother erred while cutting the World No. 1's hair. However, the Spaniard promised to keep surprising fans with new hairstyles, and he kept it. The 22-year-old reached the Laver Cup with a full platinum blonde look.

Similar to him, after winning the ATP 500 Swiss Indoors in October, rising star Joao Fonseca had promised he'd shave his head. Speaking after the final, the Brazilian said:

“And we made a promise that if we won one of these tournaments, we are going to shave my head! So yeah, soon I’m not going to be with hair! It’s not easy for me, I’ve loved my hair since I was a boy.”

The 19-year-old recently revealed his new look.

#4. Ben Shelton, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka & Nick Kyrgios attend NBA game ahead of exhibition event

Ben Shelton, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, and Nick Kyrgios participated in an exhibition event, 'The Atlanta Cup,' at Gas South Arena on Saturday. However, the four tennis stars attended the Denver Nuggets-Atlanta Hawks NBA game on Friday at State Farm Arena.

The Atlanta Cup posted the players' photos on Instagram, as they donned Christmas-related outfits and posed alongside a man dressed as Santa Claus.

"The Gang is All Here," the story was captioned.

In another photo, Osaka can be seen posing with Atlanta's Chris Eubanks, who recently announced his retirement at the age of 29.

"Atlanta's own Chris Eubanks + Naomi Osaka," the story was captioned.

Finally, they shared a photo of Sabalenka, who held props that the spectators use to cheer on the Hawks.

#5. Former player names Emma Raducanu's biggest mistake of her career

At the 2021 US Open, Emma Raducanu created history by becoming the first player to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier. She did not drop a single set to win her first singles title. However, she has not been able to add to her tally since then.

Former World No. 1 Greg Rusedski recently opined that becoming a big star so early in her career worked against Raducanu. He particularly called the youngster out for frequently changing her coaching staff.

During an interview with Tennis365, Rusedski said:

“She went from zero to superstar too quickly, and that was a challenge. Raducanu did the hardest thing in tennis first. She won a Grand Slam. That can never be taken away from her."

"Then you get astronomical fame and sponsorship that anybody in their right mind would have taken, but the mistake she made was the coaching situation. So many changes didn’t help her. I know this has been said before, but you need consistency in your coach and where you are going. She didn’t have that," he added.

“The reason she is back in the top 30 now is that she has had some consistency with her coaches in recent months, starting with Mark Petchey coming into her team back in March, and then with Francisco Roig coming on board, who has worked with Rafael Nadal. She needs that consistency with her coaching now,” Rusedki concluded.

Edited by Parag Jain