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• Nadal backed for dream Roland Garros send-off by Lopez

  Rafael Nadal is unlikely to match Novak Djokovic's haul of 24 grand slam titles, but the Spaniard is capable of capping his remarkable career with one last Roland Garros triumph next year. 

  That is the opinion of Feliciano Lopez, who hopes to see Nadal overcome his injury woes to enjoy a triumphant send-off in 2024.

  Nadal's total of 22 grand slam titles is only bettered by Djokovic among male players, with the Serbian matching Margaret Court's overall record by winning the US Open.

  Djokovic has won three of four grand slams in 2023, with injuries leading Nadal to miss the last three majors after he was eliminated from the Australian Open by Mackenzie McDonald in January.

  Nadal confirmed earlier this year that 2024 would "probably" be his last year on the tour, and former world number nine Lopez is desperate to see his compatriot go out on a high.

  Asked if Nadal could add to his 14 French Open titles – a single-slam record – next year, Lopez told Stats Perform: "With Rafa, you never know, because he has shown on other occasions that he was able to come back stronger, even when he had significant injuries. 

  "It will depend a lot on how he feels physically, that will be key. I wouldn't be surprised to see him competing at a good level next year and I would love for him to say goodbye by winning Roland Garros. 

  "It would be a dream for me and many people to see him lift that cup once again.

  "It is very difficult for me to talk about Rafa, because he has changed the way we see sport in Spain. Before Rafa we had great athletes, but none transcended sport the way he has.

  "Rafa's figure in Spanish sport and in the lives of Spanish people… there will be none like him. 

  "There have been many joys that he has given us. He has given us examples in many situations outside of sports. There will be a before and after [Nadal] in Spanish sport."

  While Nadal now looks highly unlikely to match the evergreen Djokovic for total grand slam titles, Lopez does not believe that will concern the 37-year-old.

  "The issue of numbers and who is bigger than who fuels the media a lot," Lopez added. "At this moment in Rafa's life, I don't think he is thinking about that.

  "With the numbers, we can see who won the most things, but that is not the question. I want him to return so he can compete again for one last year at the highest level. 

  "Hopefully he wins one or two more grand slams, but right now, his goal is to recover and be physically competitive. 

  "That is what Rafa needs and wants, because if he is not feeling well enough to compete, it will be very difficult for him to be able to play many tournaments next year." 

• Harry Kane stars with hat-trick and two assists as Bayern Munich batter Bochum

  Harry Kane was the star of the show with a hat-trick and two assists as Bayern Munich maintained their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga after hammering Bochum 7-0.

  The hosts ran riot with the England captain scoring just minutes after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s opener and goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Leroy Sane gave them a 4-0 lead at half-time.

  Their dominance continued after the break as Kane scored from the spot and assisted Mathys Tel before earning his first hat-trick for Bayern with minutes to go.

  Kane’s excellent start with Bayern means he has now scored seven goals in five league matches as the defending Bundesliga champions sit top of the table.

  Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Marco Reus’ second-half goal earned Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win over Wolfsburg while former Chelsea striker Timo Werner scored the only goal for RB Leipzig in their victory at Borussia Monchengladbach.

  Hoffenheim won 2-0 at Union Berlin thanks to goals from Andrej Kramaric and Maximilian Beier, while Werder Bremen were 2-1 winners against Cologne. Davie Selke put the visitors ahead, but Rafael Borre and Justin Njinmah claimed the three points.

  Ermedin Demirovic’s double earned 10-man FC Augsburg a 2-1 victory over Mainz, who had taken the lead through Ludovic Ajorque. Arne Engels was sent off in the 62nd minute, but Augsburg held on.

  Joao Cancelo’s 89th-minute goal completed an amazing comeback by Barcelona as they scored three times in the final 10 minutes to beat Celta Vigo 3-2 in LaLiga.

  Rafael Benitez’s Celta put in an excellent display and looked home and hosed as they went 2-0 up after 76 minutes when Tasos Douvikas added to Jorgen Strand Larsen’s excellent first-half goal.

  But they succumbed to an incredible late rally that no one saw coming as Robert Lewandowski scored twice in four minutes before former Manchester City defender Cancelo won it with one minute of normal time left.

  The comeback will paper over the cracks of what was a worrying display for Barca, who were cut open at will by a vibrant Celta side, but Xavi’s men go to the top of the table with the three points.

  Benitez will be highly enthused by what he saw from his team, even if they are just one point above the drop zone.

  Barcelona climbed above Girona, who continued their excellent start to the season with a 5-3 win over Mallorca, with goals coming from David Lopez, Artem Dovbyk, Ivan Martin, Yangel Herrera and Savio. Vedat Muriqi and Abdon Prats’ brace replied for Mallorca. Sevilla and Osasuna drew 0-0.

  AC Milan drew level with city rivals Inter at the top of Serie A after a 1-0 win over Verona.

  Rafael Leao’s early goal did the damage, though Inter can go clear later in the weekend.

  Juventus missed the chance to go top after they slumped to a 4-2 defeat at Sassuolo.

  The Bianconeri had claimed 10 points from an unbeaten start, but came unstuck at the Mapei Stadium as Sassuolo battled to a second league win.

  Armand Lauriente, Domenico Berardi, Andrea Pinamonti and an own goal from Federico Gatti sealed the three points for Sassuolo. Juventus levelled twice through Matias Vina’s own goal and Federico Chiesa.

  Nantes won an eight-goal thriller 5-3 against Lorient in Ligue 1.

  Goals from Matthis Abline, Eray Comert, Mostafa Mohamed, Florent Mollet and Moses Simon did the damage, with Eli Kroupi, Romain Faivre and Tosin Aiyegun responding for the visitors in a topsy-turvy match.

• Harry Kane hits hat-trick as Bayern Munich batter Bochum

  Harry Kane bagged a hat-trick as Bayern Munich maintained their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga after hammering Bochum 7-0.

  The hosts ran riot with the England captain scoring just minutes after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s opener and goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Leroy Sane gave them a 4-0 lead at half-time.

  Their dominance continued after the break as Kane scored from the spot and assisted Mathys Tel before earning his first hat-trick for Bayern with minutes to go.

  Kane’s excellent start with Bayern means he has now scored seven goals in five league matches as the defending Bundesliga champions sit top of the table.

  The hosts threatened early as Manuel Riemann saved from Choupo-Moting in the first minute, but the forward made no mistake the second time after Kingsley Coman squared the ball to him for an easy tap-in just four minutes into the match.

  Kane doubled their lead in the 13th minute with a neat finish into the bottom corner and soon had a chance to earn his second but blasted the ball over the bar.

  Sven Ulreich was called into action to make a diving save from Christopher Antwi-Adjei, but Bayern quickly had their third in the 29th minute after Joshua Kimmich’s corner found De Ligt, who thumped a header into the corner.

  Another great chance saw Kane thread the ball through to Choupo-Moting, who was denied by Riemann, but the England captain then hit a great pass for Sane, who burst down the centre of the pitch to tuck the ball into the far bottom corner seven minutes before half-time.

  Riemann made two crucial saves late in the first half to deny Kane and Coman in quick succession, but the goals kept flowing for Bayern after the break.

  Ivan Ordets conceded a penalty after handling the ball in the box and Kane earned his brace in the 54th minute with a low spot-kick beating Riemann.

  Coman kept the pressure on, going close a few minutes later with a curling effort clipping the post and Frans Kratzig smashed an effort towards goal forcing Riemann to tip the ball over the bar, but Bayern extended their lead in the 81st minute when Kane found Tel who fired the ball into the far corner.

  The former Tottenham man then earned his hat-trick with two minutes of normal time left, getting on the end of a ball from Sane to slot the ball in at the near post.