"It's going to be Stefano driving, maybe mom, hopefully me soon" - Elena Rybakina on her coach taking over her Porsche after Stuttgart triumph

Elena Rybakina has shed light on what she plans to do with the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo she received following her win in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Rybakina reached the final of the WTA 500 tournament after battling past Veronika Kudermetova, Jasmine Paolini, and Iga Swiatek. It took the Kazakh three sets in each match to down her opponents. Following her semifinal win over WTA World No. 1 Swiatek, Rybakina was quizzed about her driving skills.

Surprisingly, Rybakina revealed that she does not have a driver's license.

"Well guys, I actually don’t have (a) driver’s license. So it’s gonna be the goal, of course. I mean, I want (it) already for a long time, so that’s a good motivation," Rybakina said during her post-match on-court interview.

After her dominant victory in the final over Marta Kostyuk (6-2, 6,2), the 2022 Wimbledon champion was asked what she plans on doing with her new Porsche car without a driver's license.

Rybakina said that for the time being, her coach Stefano Vukov will mostly drive the car, while her mother might drive it occasionally. However, she also expressed hope that she would be able to drive it herself soon.

"Well, I don't know yet (what to do with the car). For sure I will drive it around, and we are thinking to have it in Dubai. So it's going to be for sure Stefano driving, maybe my mom, hopefully me soon," Rybakina said during a press conference.

Elena Rybakina needed help to keep Porsche Tennis Grand Prix tradition going

Porsche CEO Oliver Blume (L) and Elena Rybakina (R) posing afte the latter's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Stuttgart 2024 triumph

One of the traditions of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix involves the winner driving the newly-received Porsche car on the court following the conclusion of the trophy presentation ceremony.

Iga Swiatek, who won the tournament in both 2022 and 2023, drove the cars herself on both occasions. However, Elena Rybakina's lack of driving skills meant the Kazakh needed help to keep the tradition going.

Up stepped Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche, to assist Rybakina. While the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix champion sat in the passenger seat, it was Blume who took up driving duties.

Rybakina's latest triumph saw her establish a firm lead over Jessica Pegula at No. 4 in the WTA live rankings. However, she remains just under 1,000 points shy of Coco Gauff at No. 3.