Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews duelled with Steve Nash in summer tennis matches

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Auston Matthews and Steve Nash are no strangers around a net. 

So, maybe it’s not a surprise the Toronto Maple Leafs captain and Rocket Richard Trophy winner has found a regular tennis partner with the two-time NBA MVP and Canadian hoops legend. 

It turns out the two have played a couple of times this summer after realizing they’re neighbours in Phoenix, Ariz.

They met through former Maple Leafs assistant coach Manny Malhotra, who wed B.C.-raised Nash’s sister, Joann, when Malhotra was with the Vancouver Canucks. Nash played for the Phoenix Suns during the peak of his career.

Matthews told Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts Podcast this week that Nash, who at 50 is nearly twice the Leafs centre’s age, remains a multi-sport threat. Both men are 6-foot-3. 

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“He hits like a one-hand backhand kind of like (Roger) Federer. He’s pretty smooth. He loves it, too,” Matthews said of his playing partner.

“Not too many guys in Arizona are playing tennis in the middle of the day. He’s much better than me, but he’s a lot of fun to play with.”  

Nash played from 1996 until 2014, then went into coaching and advising, including a stint with the Canadian National team.

Matthews also revealed that even though he was trading baseline forehand drives with Nash, the Leafs sniper was hitting the ice earlier than he normally had been in previous off-seasons.

He also hinted at a few “tweaks” to his training, but wouldn’t go into further detail about the adjustments.

“I like to keep these things private,” he said.

Matthews also said that he doesn’t feel the need to reinvent himself after his promotion to captain from alternate earlier this summer, but he will be challenging himself to use his voice more often than in the past, when he often let his play on the ice do the talking.

“As far as my leadership goes, I’m not maybe the most vocal guy in the locker room. But the past couple years I’ve felt more comfortable to speak up,” Matthews said.

“I tend to just lead by example, trying to set the standard for our team whether it’s in practice or in games. But I think over time, it’s important to realize the impact that you have in the locker room.”

Lhornby@postmedia.com 

@sunhornby