Renee Zellweger called Serena and Venus Williams her 'heroes' in her Oscars acceptance speech last night.

Zellweger won Best Actress for her portrayal of Judy Garland in the film Judy, beating the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Saoirse Ronan to the award.

In her speech, she said: "When we look to our heroes, we agree, and that matters. Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride, Dolores Huerta, Venus and Serena and Selena, Bob Dylan, Scorsese, Fred Rogers, Harriet Tubman.

"We agree on our teachers, and we agree on our courageous men and women in uniform who serve. We agree on our first responders and firefighters. When we celebrate our heroes, we’re reminded of who we are as one people united."

Meanwhile, another tennis star shone at the prestigious awards ceremony as Maria Sharapova walked the red carpet at the Vanity Fair after party.

She attended the event with her boyfriend and businessman Alexander Gilkes.

Other stars that attended the party included Wonder Woman Gal Gadot, actor Timothee Chalamet and singer Adam Levine.