Despite a potentially career-threatening foot injury that hindered her in 2024, Sorana Cirstea is showing no signs of stopping. The 34-year-old Romanian revealed on social media Tuesday that she'll be healthy and ready to compete Down Under to start the 2025 season following a bout with plantar fasciitis that necessitated surgery. 

Cirstea shut down her season last year in July -- in the midst of a six-match losing streak -- and revealed an uncertain future when she told fans and followers that she was suffering from the condition, which causes varying degrees of pain in the bottom of the feet and heels. With it, Cirstea's late-career resurgence was brought to a screeching halt. In February, she had reached her best ranking in more than a decade -- one spot off her 2013 career-high -- having been as low as No.83 a year prior. 

"I got to the point where the pain is unbearable, [it] is very hard to train, and the only solution left is longer time off," she wrote at the time. "We do not know at the moment how long the recovery will take, but I will try my best to be back on court as soon as possible."

Cristea wrote that she expects to play the WTA 500 Adelaide International, which features Jasmine Paolini and four other Top 10 players, before the Australian Open. She had played 33 consecutive Grand Slam main draws dating back to Roland Garros in 2016 before her streak ended as a result of missing the 2024 US Open.

But before shutting down her season, the former World No.21 reached the semifinals at the WTA 1000 in Dubai, saving six match points in a stunning upset of then-reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, and also reached the fourth round in Miami and Rome.

Cirstea saves six match points vs. Vondrousova to make Dubai semis