diff --git a/pandas/tests/test_algos.py b/pandas/tests/test_algos.py
index e6c00e11d42a9..b8226bc2f8269 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/test_algos.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/test_algos.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 import pandas as pd
 from pandas import (
     Categorical, CategoricalIndex, DatetimeIndex, Index, IntervalIndex, Series,
-    Timestamp, _np_version_under1p14, compat)
+    Timestamp, compat)
 import pandas.core.algorithms as algos
 from pandas.core.arrays import DatetimeArray
 import pandas.core.common as com
@@ -228,11 +228,9 @@ def test_complex_sorting(self):
         # gh 12666 - check no segfault
         x17 = np.array([complex(i) for i in range(17)], dtype=object)
 
-        msg = (r"unorderable types: {0} [<>] {0}".format(r"complex\(\)")
-               if _np_version_under1p14 else
-               r"'[<>]' not supported between instances of {0} and {0}".format(
-                   "'complex'")
-               )
+        msg = (r"'(<|>)' not supported between instances of 'complex' and"
+               r" 'complex'|"
+               r"unorderable types: complex\(\) > complex\(\)")
         with pytest.raises(TypeError, match=msg):
             algos.factorize(x17[::-1], sort=True)
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/test_sorting.py b/pandas/tests/test_sorting.py
index 14b5f1cb509fa..c753b5531fde7 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/test_sorting.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/test_sorting.py
@@ -7,8 +7,7 @@
 import pytest
 
 from pandas import (
-    DataFrame, MultiIndex, Series, _np_version_under1p14, compat, concat,
-    merge, to_datetime)
+    DataFrame, MultiIndex, Series, compat, concat, merge, to_datetime)
 from pandas.core import common as com
 from pandas.core.sorting import (
     decons_group_index, get_group_index, is_int64_overflow_possible,
@@ -414,13 +413,10 @@ def test_mixed_integer_from_list(self):
     def test_unsortable(self):
         # GH 13714
         arr = np.array([1, 2, datetime.now(), 0, 3], dtype=object)
-        msg = (r"unorderable types: ({0} [<>] {1}|{1} [<>] {0})".format(
-                   r"int\(\)", r"datetime\.datetime\(\)")  # noqa: E126
-               if _np_version_under1p14 else
-               (r"'[<>]' not supported between instances of "
-                r"({0} and {1}|{1} and {0})").format(
-                    "'int'", r"'datetime\.datetime'")
-               )
+        msg = (r"'(<|>)' not supported between instances of ('"
+               r"datetime\.datetime' and 'int'|'int' and 'datetime\.datetime"
+               r"')|"
+               r"unorderable types: int\(\) > datetime\.datetime\(\)")
         with pytest.raises(TypeError, match=msg):
             safe_sort(arr)