She Does Her Work on Court : Tennis: Unemployment has done wonders for the tennis game of Barbara Mueller, who won the women’s 40s title at the National Hardcourt Tournament.

SAN DIEGO —  After Barbara Mueller defeated Stephanie Adcock, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, Sunday in the final of the women’s 40s National Hardcourt Tournament at the La Jolla Beach and Racquet Club, she searched for secrets to her success.

But as she gave post-match analysis, she couldn’t really point to any particular thing she did that well, or that Adcock did poorly.

Then, finally, she remembered what she was doing the last time she won the La Jolla tournament in 1985.

“I was unemployed then, too,” she said.

Back then, Mueller had just resigned her position as tennis coach at Ohio State after seven years. This year, she left a job in social work.

So when you’re out of a job, what do you do? Play tennis, and a lot of it.

Mueller’s national title Sunday was her third of the year--the other two coming on grass. But she also has found time to play clay court tournaments in Chile. In one of them, she played against a world-class over-40 field and finished second.

“I guess that’s the key for me,” she said. “When I’m unemployed, I seem to be looking for a balance in my life, and tennis gives me that.”

Mueller, who lives in Tempe, Ariz., said she will probably continue her education at Arizona State in the fall. Sunday, she could savor her hard-earned victory over Adcock.

Mueller, 45, won the first set fairly easily with three service breaks, but in the second, Adcock’s serve began to give her trouble. It set up Adcock’s volley game, and she was broken just once.

“I didn’t know she was that powerful,” Mueller said. “Those serves were incredible.”

But as incredible as they were in the second set, they were disastrous for Adcock late in the third with the games even at four.

Ahead, 30-0 and 40-15, Adcock double-faulted twice in the ninth game to let Mueller back in.

“Barbara was starting to return my serves so well that I tried to put a little extra on them, and that’s what cost me,” said Adcock, a 40-year-old from Los Gatos.

Mueller said her lackadaisical attitude almost cost her the match.

“I didn’t really feel any pressure, and I felt confident,” she said. “But I wasn’t working as hard as I wanted to. I was just not emotionally into it.”

But Mueller said emotions might have played a part in Adcock’s late serving problems.

“Her never having won a national tournament may have tensed her up a bit,” Mueller said.

In the father-son final, Dick and Jonathan Leach of Laguna Beach defeated Gary and Kim Wincup of Bethesda, Maryland, 7-5, 6-4.