Matthew Perry Loves His Job

Matthew Perry's new comedy, "Mr. Sunshine," premiered last night on ABC. The mid-season replacement filled in for "Cougar Town" in the hot time slot right after "Modern Family." The ratings were sunny; they were the highest of any new ABC series this season. That's good news for Perry. But it's really good news for tennis fans because that means the network won't be pulling the plug on the show right away, and the episode featuring Jimmy Connors will likely air. On "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Tuesday, Perry told the talk-show host that it was a real thrill for him to get to play tennis against Connors, his childhood idol. "I was, like, a 12-year-old kid in Canada and I had his haircut," he said. "A couple of weeks later I got a message from him and he asked me to play in a real charity tennis event with him...and then we've become sort of text buddies...I want this to be a relationship in my life." Perry, as tennis fans know, was a top junior in his native Canada. Connors, as tennis fans know, was a great shot-maker:

—Sarah Thurmond