diff --git a/net/ipv4/tcp_timer.c b/net/ipv4/tcp_timer.c
index dbd9d2d0ee63..40de2d2364a1 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/tcp_timer.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/tcp_timer.c
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ static int tcp_write_timeout(struct sock *sk)
 	struct inet_connection_sock *icsk = inet_csk(sk);
 	struct tcp_sock *tp = tcp_sk(sk);
 	struct net *net = sock_net(sk);
-	bool expired, do_reset;
+	bool expired = false, do_reset;
 	int retry_until;
 
 	if ((1 << sk->sk_state) & (TCPF_SYN_SENT | TCPF_SYN_RECV)) {
@@ -242,9 +242,10 @@ static int tcp_write_timeout(struct sock *sk)
 			if (tcp_out_of_resources(sk, do_reset))
 				return 1;
 		}
+	}
+	if (!expired)
 		expired = retransmits_timed_out(sk, retry_until,
 						icsk->icsk_user_timeout);
-	}
 	tcp_fastopen_active_detect_blackhole(sk, expired);
 
 	if (BPF_SOCK_OPS_TEST_FLAG(tp, BPF_SOCK_OPS_RTO_CB_FLAG))