Former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro will undergo surgery on his left wrist Monday and is expected to be sidelined for at least several months.

Del Potro said his wrist has bothered him off and on for two years. He underwent surgery on his right wrist in 2010 and was off the tour for eight months.

In a statement on his Facebook page, del Potro said the latest operation was scheduled following an examination Sunday. The operation will be performed by the same Minnesota doctor, Richard Berger, who performed the earlier surgery.

"Obviously, it's not the easiest choice or the happiest moment of my career," del Potro said. "I experienced a similar situation and I know how hard it is to be out of the tour, the desire to return, the endless weeks of recovery and how difficult it is to start fighting for the top spots in the rankings again."

It took del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, several years to climb back up the rankings after undergoing surgery on his other wrist. He played some of his besttennis last season, reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon, recording wins over Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, and rising to No. 5 in the rankings — his highest position in three years.

After winning the Sydney International to start this season, however, he has struggled with pain in his left wrist. He fell in the second round of the Australian Open and then retired from his first-round match against India's Somdev Devvarman last month in Dubai, fighting back tears when he talked to the media after the match.

The Argentine also withdrew from the Sony Open on Wednesday before his first match.