diff --git a/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/vertx-redis-client-3.9/src/test/groovy/VertxRedisAPITestBase.groovy b/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/vertx-redis-client-3.9/src/test/groovy/VertxRedisAPITestBase.groovy
index fd5fc3c9247..fbe6eefc841 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/vertx-redis-client-3.9/src/test/groovy/VertxRedisAPITestBase.groovy
+++ b/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/vertx-redis-client-3.9/src/test/groovy/VertxRedisAPITestBase.groovy
@@ -1,17 +1,17 @@
 import datadog.trace.test.util.Flaky
-
-import static datadog.trace.agent.test.utils.TraceUtils.basicSpan
-
 import io.vertx.core.AsyncResult
 import io.vertx.core.Handler
 import io.vertx.redis.client.RedisAPI
 import io.vertx.redis.client.Response
 import spock.lang.AutoCleanup
 import spock.lang.Shared
+import spock.util.concurrent.PollingConditions
 
 import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
 
+import static datadog.trace.agent.test.utils.TraceUtils.basicSpan
+
 abstract class VertxRedisAPITestBase extends VertxRedisTestBase {
 
   @AutoCleanup(quiet = true)
@@ -154,14 +154,26 @@ class VertxRedisAPIRedisForkedTest extends VertxRedisAPITestBase {
 class VertxRedisAPIRedisConnectionForkedTest extends VertxRedisAPITestBase {
   @Override
   RedisAPI createRedis() {
+    RedisAPI api = null
+
+    new PollingConditions(delay: 3, timeout: 15).eventually {
+      (api = connect()) != null
+    }
+
+    return api
+  }
+
+  private RedisAPI connect() {
     def latch = new CountDownLatch(1)
-    def ret
-    redis.connect({ar ->
+    RedisAPI api = null
+    redis.connect({ ar ->
       try {
-        if (!ar.succeeded()) {
+        if (ar.succeeded()) {
+          api = RedisAPI.api(ar.result())
+        } else {
+          println "Redis connection failed"
           ar.cause().printStackTrace(System.out)
         }
-        ret  = RedisAPI.api(ar.result())
       } catch (Throwable t) {
         t.printStackTrace(System.out)
       } finally {
@@ -169,6 +181,7 @@ class VertxRedisAPIRedisConnectionForkedTest extends VertxRedisAPITestBase {
       }
     })
     latch.await(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
-    return ret
+
+    return api
   }
 }
diff --git a/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/vertx-redis-client-3.9/src/test/groovy/VertxRedisTestBase.groovy b/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/vertx-redis-client-3.9/src/test/groovy/VertxRedisTestBase.groovy
index 97a1c25959f..d8f5f5330ca 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/vertx-redis-client-3.9/src/test/groovy/VertxRedisTestBase.groovy
+++ b/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/vertx-redis-client-3.9/src/test/groovy/VertxRedisTestBase.groovy
@@ -1,9 +1,3 @@
-import org.testcontainers.utility.DockerImageName
-
-import static datadog.trace.agent.test.utils.TraceUtils.basicSpan
-import static datadog.trace.agent.test.utils.TraceUtils.runUnderTrace
-import static datadog.trace.bootstrap.instrumentation.api.AgentTracer.activeSpan
-
 import com.redis.testcontainers.RedisContainer
 import datadog.trace.agent.test.asserts.ListWriterAssert
 import datadog.trace.agent.test.asserts.TraceAssert
@@ -21,6 +15,7 @@ import io.vertx.redis.client.Redis
 import io.vertx.redis.client.Request
 import io.vertx.redis.client.Response
 import org.testcontainers.containers.wait.strategy.Wait
+import org.testcontainers.utility.DockerImageName
 import spock.lang.AutoCleanup
 import spock.lang.Shared
 
@@ -28,6 +23,10 @@ import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
 import java.util.function.Function
 
+import static datadog.trace.agent.test.utils.TraceUtils.basicSpan
+import static datadog.trace.agent.test.utils.TraceUtils.runUnderTrace
+import static datadog.trace.bootstrap.instrumentation.api.AgentTracer.activeSpan
+
 abstract class VertxRedisTestBase extends VersionedNamingTestBase {
 
   @Shared
@@ -86,11 +85,12 @@ abstract class VertxRedisTestBase extends VersionedNamingTestBase {
     TEST_WRITER.start()
   }
 
-  public <T, R> R runWithHandler(final Handler<Handler<AsyncResult<T>>> redisCommand,
-    final Function<T, R> resultFunction = null) {
+  <T, R> R runWithHandler(final Handler<Handler<AsyncResult<T>>> redisCommand,
+  final Function<T, R> resultFunction = null) {
     R result = null
     CountDownLatch latch = new CountDownLatch(1)
-    redisCommand.handle({ ar ->
+    redisCommand.handle({
+      ar ->
       runUnderTrace("handler") {
         if (resultFunction) {
           result = resultFunction.apply(ar.result())
@@ -102,8 +102,8 @@ abstract class VertxRedisTestBase extends VersionedNamingTestBase {
     result
   }
 
-  public <T, R> R runWithParentAndHandler(final Handler<Handler<AsyncResult<T>>> redisCommand,
-    final Function<T, R> resultFunction = null) {
+  def <T, R> R runWithParentAndHandler(final Handler<Handler<AsyncResult<T>>> redisCommand,
+  final Function<T, R> resultFunction = null) {
     R result = null
     def parentSpan = runUnderTrace("parent") {
       result = runWithHandler(redisCommand, resultFunction)
@@ -160,8 +160,4 @@ abstract class VertxRedisTestBase extends VersionedNamingTestBase {
   List<String> responseToStrings(Response r) {
     r.iterator().collect { it.toString() }
   }
-
-  public <T> T identity(T t) {
-    return t
-  }
 }