diff --git a/test/distrib/python/run_distrib_test.sh b/test/distrib/python/run_distrib_test.sh
index 2148be121a278a93c48536226badc3cb039b0dcf..08856ad388a63d9e2e206f7646ebee84afdc9e5c 100755
--- a/test/distrib/python/run_distrib_test.sh
+++ b/test/distrib/python/run_distrib_test.sh
@@ -42,16 +42,17 @@ then
   exit 1
 fi
 
-# TODO(jtattermusch): this shouldn't be required
-pip install --upgrade six
+PIP=pip2
+which $PIP || PIP=pip
+PYTHON=python2
+which $PYTHON || PYTHON=python
 
-# TODO(jtattermusch): if these don't get preinstalled, pip tries to install them
-# with --use-grpc-custom-bdist option, which obviously fails.
-pip install --upgrade enum34
-pip install --upgrade futures
+# TODO(jtattermusch): this shouldn't be required
+$PIP install --upgrade six
 
 GRPC_PYTHON_BINARIES_REPOSITORY="${BDIST_DIR}" \
-    pip install \
+    $PIP install \
     "${SDIST_ARCHIVE}"
 
-python distribtest.py
+$PYTHON distribtest.py
+
diff --git a/tools/dockerfile/distribtest/python_arch_x64/Dockerfile b/tools/dockerfile/distribtest/python_arch_x64/Dockerfile
index 4d10e240c608cda10079166064826e9237962d0c..536ad86d53afb7f2746270a43efa2b50fd972818 100644
--- a/tools/dockerfile/distribtest/python_arch_x64/Dockerfile
+++ b/tools/dockerfile/distribtest/python_arch_x64/Dockerfile
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ FROM base/archlinux
 
 RUN pacman --noconfirm -Syy
 RUN pacman --noconfirm -S git
-RUN pacman --noconfirm -S python
-RUN pacman --noconfirm -S python-pip
+RUN pacman --noconfirm -S openssl
+RUN pacman --noconfirm -S python2
+RUN pacman --noconfirm -S python2-pip
 
diff --git a/tools/dockerfile/distribtest/python_centos6_x64/Dockerfile b/tools/dockerfile/distribtest/python_centos6_x64/Dockerfile
index 683686c6dbb437bcee8d9104b69217261757f686..55677fc10cc605afd027aef8b220c54cdda6e281 100644
--- a/tools/dockerfile/distribtest/python_centos6_x64/Dockerfile
+++ b/tools/dockerfile/distribtest/python_centos6_x64/Dockerfile
@@ -35,3 +35,5 @@ RUN yum install -y python
 RUN rpm -ivh http://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/6/i386/epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm
 RUN yum install -y python-pip
 
+RUN pip install --upgrade pip
+