diff --git a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/server/reactive/ServerHttpRequest.java b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/server/reactive/ServerHttpRequest.java
index 5156c299f23..3fc11a2f440 100644
--- a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/server/reactive/ServerHttpRequest.java
+++ b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/server/reactive/ServerHttpRequest.java
@@ -146,8 +146,7 @@ public interface ServerHttpRequest extends HttpRequest, ReactiveHttpInputMessage
 		 * contextPath} and it must match the start of the path of the URI of
 		 * the request. That means changing the contextPath, implies also
 		 * changing the path via {@link #path(String)}.
-		 * <p>The given value may be {@code null} or empty to indicate there
-		 * is no context path.
+		 * <p>Use {@code null} to clear the context path.
 		 */
 		Builder contextPath(@Nullable String contextPath);
 
diff --git a/spring-web/src/test/java/org/springframework/http/server/reactive/ServerHttpRequestTests.java b/spring-web/src/test/java/org/springframework/http/server/reactive/ServerHttpRequestTests.java
index 73867f34eb3..56e8cfedda0 100644
--- a/spring-web/src/test/java/org/springframework/http/server/reactive/ServerHttpRequestTests.java
+++ b/spring-web/src/test/java/org/springframework/http/server/reactive/ServerHttpRequestTests.java
@@ -194,14 +194,14 @@ class ServerHttpRequestTests {
 		assertThat(mutated.getURI().getRawPath()).isEqualTo("/other/path");
 	}
 
-	@Test
+	@Test // gh-37099
 	void mutateContextPathToNull() throws Exception {
 		ServerHttpRequest request = createRequest("/context/path", "/context");
 
-		ServerHttpRequest mutated = request.mutate().contextPath(null).build();
+		ServerHttpRequest mutated = request.mutate().contextPath(null).path("/path").build();
 		assertThat(mutated.getPath().contextPath().value()).isEmpty();
-		assertThat(mutated.getPath().pathWithinApplication().value()).isEqualTo("/context/path");
-		assertThat(mutated.getURI().getRawPath()).isEqualTo("/context/path");
+		assertThat(mutated.getPath().pathWithinApplication().value()).isEqualTo("/path");
+		assertThat(mutated.getURI().getRawPath()).isEqualTo("/path");
 	}
 
 	@Test