diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/PersistentProperty.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/PersistentProperty.java
index 907e993db..0c4560e82 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/PersistentProperty.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/PersistentProperty.java
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import java.lang.reflect.Field;
 import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Map;
-import java.util.Optional;
 
 import org.springframework.core.annotation.AnnotationUtils;
 import org.springframework.data.util.TypeInformation;
@@ -179,10 +178,10 @@ public interface PersistentProperty<P extends PersistentProperty<P>> {
 	 * Returns the component type of the type if it is a {@link java.util.Collection}. Will return the type of the key if
 	 * the property is a {@link java.util.Map}.
 	 *
-	 * @return the component type, the map's key type or {@link Optional#empty()} if neither {@link java.util.Collection}
-	 *         nor {@link java.util.Map}.
+	 * @return the component type, the map's key type or {@literal null} if neither {@link java.util.Collection} nor
+	 *         {@link java.util.Map}.
 	 */
-	Optional<Class<?>> getComponentType();
+	Class<?> getComponentType();
 
 	/**
 	 * Returns the raw type as it's pulled from from the reflected property.
@@ -194,9 +193,9 @@ public interface PersistentProperty<P extends PersistentProperty<P>> {
 	/**
 	 * Returns the type of the values if the property is a {@link java.util.Map}.
 	 *
-	 * @return the map's value type or {@link Optional#empty()} if no {@link java.util.Map}
+	 * @return the map's value type or {@literal null} if no {@link java.util.Map}
 	 */
-	Optional<Class<?>> getMapValueType();
+	Class<?> getMapValueType();
 
 	/**
 	 * Returns the actual type of the property. This will be the original property type if no generics were used, the
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentProperty.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentProperty.java
index 190d0c385..fd7c4bcb0 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentProperty.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentProperty.java
@@ -258,13 +258,8 @@ public abstract class AbstractPersistentProperty<P extends PersistentProperty<P>
 	 * @see org.springframework.data.mapping.PersistentProperty#getComponentType()
 	 */
 	@Override
-	public Optional<Class<?>> getComponentType() {
-
-		if (!isMap() && !isCollectionLike()) {
-			return Optional.empty();
-		}
-
-		return Optional.of(information.getRequiredComponentType().getType());
+	public Class<?> getComponentType() {
+		return isMap() || isCollectionLike() ? information.getRequiredComponentType().getType() : null;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -272,8 +267,8 @@ public abstract class AbstractPersistentProperty<P extends PersistentProperty<P>
 	 * @see org.springframework.data.mapping.PersistentProperty#getMapValueType()
 	 */
 	@Override
-	public Optional<Class<?>> getMapValueType() {
-		return isMap() ? information.getMapValueType().map(TypeInformation::getType) : Optional.empty();
+	public Class<?> getMapValueType() {
+		return isMap() ? information.getMapValueType().map(TypeInformation::getType).orElse(null) : null;
 	}
 
 	/*
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/MappingMetadataTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/MappingMetadataTests.java
index 90a5ca7d4..a4e9ade0e 100755
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/MappingMetadataTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/MappingMetadataTests.java
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ public class MappingMetadataTests {
 		PersistentEntity<?, SamplePersistentProperty> person = ctx.getRequiredPersistentEntity(PersonWithChildren.class);
 
 		person.doWithAssociations((AssociationHandler<SamplePersistentProperty>) association -> {
-			assertThat(association.getInverse().getComponentType()).hasValue(Child.class);
+			assertThat(association.getInverse().getComponentType()).isEqualTo(Child.class);
 		});
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentPropertyUnitTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentPropertyUnitTests.java
index 88497faba..028ef07fc 100755
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentPropertyUnitTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mapping/model/AbstractPersistentPropertyUnitTests.java
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public class AbstractPersistentPropertyUnitTests {
 
 	@Test // DATACMNS-68
 	public void discoversComponentTypeCorrectly() throws Exception {
-		assertThat(getProperty(TestClassComplex.class, "testClassSet").getComponentType()).hasValue(Object.class);
+		assertThat(getProperty(TestClassComplex.class, "testClassSet").getComponentType()).isEqualTo(Object.class);
 	}
 
 	@Test // DATACMNS-101