diff --git a/client/client.go b/client/client.go
index 222aa50f11..62a3db360a 100644
--- a/client/client.go
+++ b/client/client.go
@@ -260,8 +260,13 @@ func (cli *Client) NegotiateAPIVersionPing(p types.Ping) {
 		p.APIVersion = "1.24"
 	}
 
-	// if server version is lower than the current cli, downgrade
-	if versions.LessThan(p.APIVersion, cli.ClientVersion()) {
+	// if the client is not initialized with a version, start with the latest supported version
+	if cli.version == "" {
+		cli.version = api.DefaultVersion
+	}
+
+	// if server version is lower than the maximum version supported by the Client, downgrade
+	if versions.LessThan(p.APIVersion, api.DefaultVersion) {
 		cli.version = p.APIVersion
 	}
 }