But it should finally work against Marin Cilic, right? On clay in Roland Garros, what didn't speak for Andrey Rublev as the winner of the quarter-final game with the experienced Croatian (except maybe the fact that Cilic had won the most recent encounter between the two in Melbourne)? But once again Rublev failed to get into the last four remaining players at a major. Just like a few months later at the US Open, where he lost to Frances Tiafoe in three sets in the quarter-finals.

Now, at 25, Andrey Rublev is still a youngster, even though he jumped onto the ATP carousel at 17. And after the Russian was able to qualify for the ATP Finals this year, it wasn't all bad.

And please: What positive things did we notice?

First and foremost there are the four tournament victories in Marseille (in the final against Félix Auger-Aliassime), Dubai (against Jiri Vesely), Belgrade (against Novak Djokovic) and Gijon (against Sebastian Korda).
Above all, the final victory against Djokovic in his hometown must be emphasized again. After all, the Serbian grandmaster didn't have to suffer that many defeats this year.
51 match wins are also worth all honor.
When it comes to the rather soft factors, it is worth mentioning that Andrey Rublev is one of the few Russians who has positioned himself against the war. And his support for Daria Kasatkina also commands respect - especially compared to other colleagues.

On the other hand, of course...

Rublev survives an incredibly difficult group with Djokovic, Tsitsipas and Medvedev at the ATP Finals - and then goes against Casper Ruud in the semifinals like the proverbial primrose.
In the 1000s, Rublev is still waiting for his first title after the 2022 season. He came closest in Indian Wells, where Rublev lost to eventual champion Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals.
At the team competitions, Rublev fell through no fault of his own: Russia was excluded from the Davis Cup 2022. And not invited to the United Cup, which will be held in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth from December 29th.

So what could the new season bring for Andrey Rublev? The crystal ball doesn't reveal that much that's new. Because the question of whether Rublev's sweaty speed tennis would also carry over an entire Grand Slam distance cannot yet be answered conclusively. For men, outsider victories in the majors are much rarer than for women (Elena Rybakina or Emma Raducanu say hello), but know: maybe a branch will open up for Andrey Rublev.

Our grade for 2022, however: a two. Without an asterisk.