With his speedy 6-2, 6-1 victory over No. 4-ranked Stan Wawrinka in Shanghai on Friday, Rafael Nadal notched his 300th career ATP Masters 1000 win (300-62), and now trails only Roger Federer (326-95) in that category.

When it comes to winning percentage at the ATP Masters 1000 events, Nadal (.828) is ahead of both Novak Djokovic (.817) and Federer (.774) on the all-time honor rolls.

But the Spaniard isn’t getting too caught up in the numbers these days. Having endured his first Slam-less campaign in more than a decade, and still seeking his first ATP Masters 1000 title of 2015, it’s all about progress, about measurable match-to-match improvement.

When the Shanghai Rolex Masters semi-finalist was asked if his results this week might serve as a breakthrough in an otherwise tough year for the 27-time ATP Masters 1000 champion, Nadal was quick to dismiss any short-term thinking.

“I don’t believe in drastic changes,” he cautioned. “One week is not going to change everything. I don’t believe that’s going to happen, especially for me. What I believe in is playing weeks in a row at a solid level, and that’s what I feel I am doing better and better. The important feeling is that you are practising well. I am enjoying it. I don’t have the problems that I had during the whole year in terms of controlling of my emotions on court. That’s allowed me to enjoy the practices, the competition.  I’m happy for that. I have the motivation to keep going.”

It wasn’t the first time during the Asian swing that the 29-year-old had referenced his on-court emotions. In Beijing, he confided that after many months of struggling with them, he was just beginning to play with a sense of calm again, “something that has been very difficult for me.” He later elaborated on the theme: “Not having control of my nerves or my emotion is like coming back from an injury. It’s not a physical injury, but a mental injury. And for me this is another challenge. I am working hard. I’ve never had such a long period of time without playing at the level that I wanted.”

All this comes as somewhat of a surprise. Fans have long relished the Mallorcan’s matadorian fist-pumps, but he has never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve in moments of doubt. If he’s been struggling on an emotional front, he’s sure done a good job of masking it.

“I think that’s a personal thing. Normally, I don’t like to talk about personal things,” he said. “I talk about my public things, and that’s a personal thing. But in terms of the work, trying to control your emotions, it’s something you need to work on every day.”

Beijing marked Nadal’s first hard-court final (l. to Djokovic) since Miami in 2014, and until this week he hadn’t defeated a Top-5 opponent in 16 months. Despite his assertion that he doesn’t prescribe to drastic changes, deep runs in back-to-back weeks in China show that he has indeed turned a corner of sorts and is now headed in the right direction.

“I am playing two weeks in a row in the final rounds. That’s a big improvement for me,” said Nadal, who’ll next face Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Shanghai semi-finals. “In terms of confidence, in terms of my level of tennis, I am playing better.  I’m very happy for that because I am working so hard every day, with the right energy, I believe.”

ATP MASTERS 1000 WIN LEADERS (since 1990)