diff --git a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/HandlerRegistration.java b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/HandlerRegistration.java
index 905fe0cb1..a2e3fe391 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/HandlerRegistration.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/HandlerRegistration.java
@@ -398,9 +398,11 @@ public class HandlerRegistration<T> implements MessageConsumer<T>, Handler<Messa
           }
           VertxTracer tracer = HandlerRegistration.this.context.tracer();
           if (tracer != null && !src) {
-            Object trace = tracer.receiveRequest(context, message, message.isSend() ? "send" : "publish", message.headers, MessageTagExtractor.INSTANCE);
+            message.trace = tracer.receiveRequest(context, message, message.isSend() ? "send" : "publish", message.headers, MessageTagExtractor.INSTANCE);
             handler.handle(message);
-            tracer.sendResponse(context, null, trace, null, TagExtractor.empty());
+            if (message.replyAddress == null) {
+              tracer.sendResponse(context, null, message.trace, null, TagExtractor.empty());
+            }
           } else {
             handler.handle(message);
           }
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/MessageImpl.java b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/MessageImpl.java
index 1de831043..cc9d8c886 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/MessageImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/MessageImpl.java
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ public class MessageImpl<U, V> implements Message<V> {
   protected U sentBody;
   protected V receivedBody;
   protected boolean send;
+  protected Object trace;
 
   public MessageImpl(boolean src, EventBusImpl bus) {
     this.bus = bus;
@@ -127,7 +128,9 @@ public class MessageImpl<U, V> implements Message<V> {
   }
 
   protected MessageImpl createReply(Object message, DeliveryOptions options) {
-    return bus.createMessage(true, src, replyAddress, options.getHeaders(), message, options.getCodecName());
+    MessageImpl reply = bus.createMessage(true, src, replyAddress, options.getHeaders(), message, options.getCodecName());
+    reply.trace = trace;
+    return reply;
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/OutboundDeliveryContext.java b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/OutboundDeliveryContext.java
index 5bac8ed81..4bf6b820c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/OutboundDeliveryContext.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/OutboundDeliveryContext.java
@@ -34,8 +34,6 @@ public class OutboundDeliveryContext<T> implements DeliveryContext<T>, Handler<A
   public final EventBusImpl.ReplyHandler<T> replyHandler;
   private final Promise<Void> writePromise;
 
-  private Object trace;
-
   Iterator<Handler<DeliveryContext>> iter;
   EventBusImpl bus;
   EventBusMetrics metrics;
@@ -66,9 +64,9 @@ public class OutboundDeliveryContext<T> implements DeliveryContext<T>, Handler<A
     if (tracer != null) {
       if (message.src) {
         if (replyHandler != null) {
-          replyHandler.trace = trace;
+          replyHandler.trace = message.trace;
         } else {
-          tracer.receiveResponse(ctx, null, trace, failure, TagExtractor.empty());
+          tracer.receiveResponse(ctx, null, message.trace, failure, TagExtractor.empty());
         }
       }
     }
@@ -110,9 +108,14 @@ public class OutboundDeliveryContext<T> implements DeliveryContext<T>, Handler<A
       }
     } else {
       VertxTracer tracer = ctx.tracer();
-      if (tracer != null && message.src) {
-        BiConsumer<String, String> biConsumer = (String key, String val) -> message.headers().set(key, val);
-        trace = tracer.sendRequest(ctx, message, message.send ? "send" : "publish", biConsumer, MessageTagExtractor.INSTANCE);
+      if (tracer != null) {
+        if (message.src) {
+          BiConsumer<String, String> biConsumer = (String key, String val) -> message.headers().set(key, val);
+          message.trace = tracer.sendRequest(ctx, message, message.send ? "send" : "publish", biConsumer, MessageTagExtractor.INSTANCE);
+        } else if (message.trace != null) {
+          // Handle failure here
+          tracer.sendResponse(ctx, null, message.trace, null, TagExtractor.empty());
+        }
       }
       bus.sendOrPub(this);
     }
diff --git a/src/test/java/io/vertx/core/spi/tracing/EventBusTracerTestBase.java b/src/test/java/io/vertx/core/spi/tracing/EventBusTracerTestBase.java
index dc244bc71..ed240b597 100644
--- a/src/test/java/io/vertx/core/spi/tracing/EventBusTracerTestBase.java
+++ b/src/test/java/io/vertx/core/spi/tracing/EventBusTracerTestBase.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import io.vertx.core.impl.ContextInternal;
 import io.vertx.test.core.Repeat;
 import io.vertx.test.core.TestUtils;
 import io.vertx.test.core.VertxTestBase;
+import org.junit.Ignore;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import java.util.*;
@@ -244,9 +245,9 @@ public abstract class EventBusTracerTestBase extends VertxTestBase {
       vertx2.eventBus().request("the_address", "msg", new DeliveryOptions().setSendTimeout(100), onFailure(failure -> {
       }));
     });
-    waitUntil(() -> ebTracer.sendEvents.size() + ebTracer.receiveEvents.size() == 4);
+    waitUntil(() -> ebTracer.sendEvents.size() + ebTracer.receiveEvents.size() == 3);
     assertEquals(Arrays.asList("sendRequest[the_address]", "receiveResponse[TIMEOUT]"), ebTracer.sendEvents);
-    assertEquals(Arrays.asList("receiveRequest[the_address]", "sendResponse[]"), ebTracer.receiveEvents);
+    assertEquals(Arrays.asList("receiveRequest[the_address]"), ebTracer.receiveEvents);
   }
 
   @Test