FRENCH OPEN / MEN : Courier Takes Backhanded Shot at Officials, TV Schedule

PARIS —  There’s nothing like playing matches on consecutive days to make the men’s two-time defending French Open champion hotter than one of his forehands.

Jim Courier was one unhappy champion Tuesday after having to go four sets to knock off Goran Prpic in the quarterfinals, 6-1, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5, less than 24 hours after dispatching Thomas Muster in a match postponed a day by darkness.

“I did not want to play today, I didn’t need to play today, it’s as simple as that,” Courier said. “But the fact of the matter is they don’t care what I think. They just care about their precious little TV and their schedule.”

The French Open, televised by ESPN, scheduled all four women’s quarterfinals and two men’s quarterfinals Tuesday. The other two men’s quarterfinals--Pete Sampras against Sergi Bruguera and Stefan Edberg against Andrei Medvedev--will be played today.

At least Courier will be better off than his semifinal opponent, either Karel Novacek or Richard Krajicek. The end of their quarterfinal match Tuesday was postponed until today, tied at two sets apiece.

Courier, who now gets two days off, took solace in his scheduling predicament by quoting from literature.

“James Joyce (said), ‘Not in time, place or circumstance, but in the man lies success.’ ”