Caroline Wozniacki: Should She Shut It Down for 2011?

Kaia Kanepi and Flavia Pennetta ...in the span of two weeks? Those are tough losses for the top-ranked player on the WTA Tour, Caroline Wozniacki. Perhaps a little break would be best just to clear her mind. The thing is, though, there are only three weeks left in the season, culminating with the year-end championship event in Istanbul.

Since the 2012 campaign will be here before anyone knows it, why not shut it down early on this year? That way, Wozniacki can put '11 behind her and turn her attention to the more important task of capturing that elusive Grand Slam title.

Sure, the Tour Championship would be a nice feather in the cap, but that wouldn't do much for her legacy in the game—it's the Majors that set the great ones apart. And Wozniacki does need to win at least one Australian, French, Wimbledon or U.S. Open to justify that lofty spot she's been holding down for quite some time now.

She's actually been No. 1 longer than Venus Williams has. And Maria Sharapova. And Kim Clijsters. Those three have a combined 14 Grand Slam titles and are all first-ballot Hall of Famers with no ifs, ands or buts about it.

Wozniacki? As far as titles won go, she's holding her own, having won 18 by the time she's 21 to go along with that long stint atop the leaderboard. But she still needs to win a Slam or two or more, before it's all said and done.

Focusing on achieving that needs to be the only goal she has for 2012.

And why not get an early start on preparing for that by saying goodbye to a semi-successful (six tournaments won is nothing to sneeze at) 2011?

Grand Slam glory could be hers.