The fact that Verkerk is seeded is largely down to two remarkable weeks at the French Open in June.
World ranking: 16
US Open best:
1st round (2002)
2002: 1st round
The Dutchman stormed into the final with victories over Rainer Schuettler, Carlos Moya and Guillermo Coria, before his form finally disappeared against Juan Carlos Ferrero.
At 6ft 5in, Verkerk has a huge serve and tremendous power off both sides, meaning he can be virtually unplayable when the force is with him.
The only other signal of the 24-year-old's ability came in February when he won his first title, beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov on indoor carpet in Basel.
But apart from a quarter-final appearance at a low-key event in Austria, he has failed to win two straight matches at any of the other 16 events he has played this year.
Added to the fact that in the four Grand Slams he has played Verkerk has lost in the first round three times and reached the final in the other, it is fair to say lack of consistency is a problem.