Noëlly Nsimba is set to combine her love of tennis and country when she’ll perform “O Canada, her native land’s national anthem, at the start of the 2025 Canadian Women’s Open. She’ll kick off the National Bank Open presented by Rogers on July 27 at IGA Stadium in Montréal, her hometown. She’s the daughter of immigrants from Democratic Republic of Congo and is a proud Canadian as well as a former participant on the WTA Tour having played in tournaments across the globe including in Israel, Tunisia, Mexico, Macedonia, Georgia, Congo, Germany, Netherlands, France, and many other countries. She’s now started both a family – she is the mother of Zyon, a 9-month-old boy — and new career in music that launches with the release two digital singles concurrent with her performance at opening the Women’s National Bank Open presented by Rogers.
The singles that will be released via all streaming services are two bilingual versions of “O Canada,” one with rock/electric accompaniment, the other an a cappella performance with vocal harmonies. The other release is “4 De Love: Tennis,” a mirthful song she wrote in celebration of her favorite sport and an instrumental version of the song. Download and streaming proceeds realized from the recording will be channeled to support The Love & Love Tennis Foundation established by Hall of Famer Rosie Casals and dedicated to empowering youth by offering tennis programs, educational support, and specialized clinics.
Noëlly considers herself a true patriot and cites Canada’s inclusive attitude toward immigration that made her parents feel welcome when they first arrived in Montreal from Africa. She comments, “Canada is a country that makes you feel at home no matter where you were born, what you look like, what you eat, how you dress or the languages you speak. We are one nation made up of many different people who are comfortable sharing with and caring for each other.”
Speaking of dress, Noëlly will be debuting a new fashion creation of hers when she sings “O Canada”, in both French and English, on the 27th. The dress she’ll be wearing is one of her own creation that she conceptualized a few years ago when she was deep in training and competing at a tennis academy in Cancun, Mexico. Beyond the discipline of daily practice and the heat of competition, she carried a vision — a vivid dream of one day standing victorious at the Australian Open. She didn’t just dream of winning. She imagined every detail, including the outfit she would wear at that moment: a green tennis dress with black and white lines, graceful and elegant like a ballerina’s attire. This dress symbolized the athlete she was and the woman she had become— strong, feminine, and determined. Noëlly sketched the design herself — every curve, every contour drawn from her imagination and heart. This vision was shared with a friend who introduced her to Reina, a skilled local tailor.
Together, Noëlly and Reina brought the vision to life. They carefully selected the fabric, discussed every detail, and shaped the dress stitch by stitch. Reina embraced Noëlly’s design with precision and artistry, transforming her dream into a stunning, one-of-a-kind reality. While Noëlly has since moved on from competitive tennis, her spirit of ambition never faded but has been applied to her music so it is fitting, in every sense, that she will be performing the national anthem wearing her green tennis dress for the very first time. That appearance will be her debut as a singer at a major event as well as the debut of her own creation representing a remarkable intersection of her passions for tennis, music and fashion design. For Noëlly, this is more than a performance. It’s a champion moment — an honorable opportunity to represent her country, her evolution, and perhaps, the beginning of a future clothing venture designed to empower others the way this dress has empowered her.
Apart from music, tennis and fashion, Noëlly has quite a few other artistic outlets: she’s an accomplished cake maker as well as a painter; in short Noëlly is a truly creative soul and a proud Canadian. “We are all given gifts that are not only for us but also to share with others,” and is truly living up to that credo.