MELBOURNE, Australia -- Bob and Mike Bryan, the California twins who evolved into the world's best male doubles team ever, made some news here at the Australian Open.

The 38-year-olds said they were retiring -- from Davis Cup play, anyway.

"We talked about it in the offseason," Bob explained Monday. "We felt it was time to pass the torch to the next generation. Davis Cup made us twice the team.

"We're not 25 anymore, when we thought we could conquer the world."

The Bryan brothers are one win away from winning their first Grand Slam title in nearly two years. EPA/MARK R. CRISTINO

But, of course, that's exactly what they did.

As a team, the duo has won an unprecedented 16 Grand Slam doubles titles and 112 ATP World Tour titles.

It has been more than two years since the brothers Bryan won a Grand Slam, at the 2014 US Open but now, after a 0-for-8 run in the majors, they have a sterling opportunity to add to that record total.

Thursday, the No. 3 seeds handled the Spanish team of Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 7-6 (1), 6-3. For the second straight match, the Bryans celebrated with their signature chest bump.

They'll play the later winner of No. 4 seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers, who beat the wild-card team of Marc Polmans and Andrew Whittington, 6-4, 6-4, Thursday.

The decision to step away from Davis Cup should make them more competitive at the Slams.

"Our bodies are feeling sprightly," Mike said.

Said Bob: "We have a little bit of that twinkle back."

More important than Grand Slams, in their minds, the Bryans collected an Olympic gold medal five years ago in London and clinched the winning point in the 2007 Davis Cup final.

The Bryans hold many of the Davis Cup doubles records, including: most victories (24-5), most ties played (31, by Mike), most years played (14, by Bob), most doubles wins (26, by Mike).

"Hopefully, we've pushed the team further and helped win some matches," Mike said. "We've put our heart and soul into Davis Cup, played every match like it was a Grand Slam final. Those are some of highlights of our career."

And then the two recounted a handful of those great moments, playing in front of 27,000 spectators in Seville, Spain, taking the title in Portland, mixing it up with the spirited Croatian fans -- in Los Angeles -- getting beer poured on them during changeovers in Athens, prevailing over Belarus in Charleston, South Carolina.

"Hearing the national anthem, seeing stealth bombers fly over the stadium," Bob said. "So many times we were wobbly in the knees and had goose bumps -- and that doesn't happen on the tour.

"It is a nauseating amount of pressure, but in return you get paid off with some of the sweetest victories of your career."

Said Mike: "We became more confident, more clutch in the big moments. That's what Davis Cup did for us."

In addition to ending their affiliation with Davis Cup, the Bryans have gone back to their roots in the coaching department. Phil Farmer, who guided them to their first Grand Slam back to 2003, is once again their coach.

In a fortnight when the champions of the past like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the Williams sisters have suddenly become the players to beat again, the Bryans, who turn 39 at the end of April, are easily the oldest -- unless you count 43-year-old Leander Paes, who is still in the mixed-doubles draw with Martina Hingis.

A win in the final would produce another record for the brothers because they're currently tied with Aussie Todd Woodbridge with 16 major doubles titles. Woodbridge won 11 with original partner Mark Woodforde, then five more with Jonas Bjorkman.

"Todd's one of our idols," Mike said, "and we really look up to him. We're happy to be tied with him. If we can go one step further it would be an amazing achievement."

The Davis Cup decision, and the prospect of the numerous weeks it opens up on the 40-week calendar seem to have energized the Bryans.

"To have maybe a little more in the tank come some of the majors is a positive," Bob said. "Were going to probably play a little smarter schedule than we did the last couple years, maybe give ourselves an opportunity to have a little more juice when it counts at the big ones."