Sörenstam's reaction after Bryant's death: "It can't be right"

SVT Sport had a chat with 49-year-old Sörenstam, who won ten majors between 1995 and 2006, in the Globe in connection with the Sports Gala. The news report has been almost completely dominated by the tragic death of Kobe Bryant over the past 24 hours, where a 13-year-old daughter was also among the nine victims.

Sörenstam met Bryant and he made a big impression. The fatal accident is painful to take.

- I don't know what to say. We sat on the plane and got some message and I thought it was a joke, "It can't be true" we said but when we landed in New York we were told the truth. It's very tragic. I think of his family and his friends and everyone who has been with him. It was in such dull circumstances, says one gathered Sörenstam.

Bryant was a well-known athlete all over the world but extraordinarily great in athletic USA.

- It's hard to describe how great he was in the US. I live in the USA and have followed him and know that many in Sweden are super interested in basketball and have followed him. After all, he was more than just basketball, he was a world star and great above all, great in China. For the last four years, he has worked extensively in Los Angeles with a girl's basketball where his daughters were active but also in the municipality and done a lot for the homeless and found a new chapter in his life, says Sörenstam.

Sörenstam thinks for an extra moment to take in how Bryant's death affected.

- It feels so empty and so unreal in any way that it can happen so quickly. It really doesn't matter what you did, in the end it's just about family and friends. I know the world is grieving and it is empty without him when I think about it because he was so incredibly big in the basket. It is, as I said, tragic, she reflects.

What were you and Kobe talking about?

- We talked about how to achieve certain goals, to be able to set the bar high, work a little extra. He was very well known for working extra hard. He was up early in the mornings and exercising and even late at night. He gave everything and was a little special in that way. In the end he was accepted as a teammate, he was a lone wolf in the beginning. He really wanted to test the limits. He was very inspiring, Sörenstam remembers.