Returning from a six-month injury layoff, she had to endure a 24-match losing streak and fell to No. 595 before she reached the quarterfinal at the Beijing Open last September. However, after winning the W50 Nottingham and W100 Gifu earlier this year, she has managed to climb back to No. 113 in the rankings.
In 2023, Zhang reached the last sixteen at the Australian Open, which elevated her ranking to a career-high of No. 22. She is also a silver medalist in singles at both the National Games in 2017 and Asian Games in 2018. Zhang Shuai was a semifinalist here in 2018. In doubles, she is a two-time Grand Slam champion, winning the 2019 Australian Open and the 2021 US Open alongside Samantha Stosur.